Misorcery
by mooksie01
Summary: Seto is barely keeping his head above water in a world ruled by prejudice and loneliness. He sees no light at the end of the tunnel and the walls are closing in, but can seven orphans teach him that he doesn't need to be engaged in a neglectful relationship to feel loved?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Oh my gosh; a new AU. Finally. Not like it took me three months to do that. Ah well. So! First order of business! This is actually going to be the first chaptered fic that I will have ever uploaded to any of my accounts, as well as the first fanfiction of mine that possesses a proper timeline (which was a bitch to make, by the way). The upload schedule for this SHOULD be once every other week, specifically Saturdays. That, of course, is dependent upon whether Writer's Block will decide to fuck me up the ass while I write this, as well as any other complications that might pop up. But, yeah, now that that's all done with; I hope you enjoy this fanfiction! A ton of thought and planning has gone into it, so I hope it's worth it! This fic takes place in Minecraft, (shocker, I know) and, no, the timeline is not in any way reflective of real life.**

 **Thank you to my wonderful bae for helping me revise this! Love you, dear!**

 **Chapter One**

 **December 25** **th** **, 1875**

Seto woke up slowly. He had slept in, something that was to be expected considering the night he'd had last night, but also something that he knew would surely throw off his schedule for the rest of the day.

Seto shivered as a draft blew in through the open window a few feet away from his bed. The sorcerer subconsciously snuggled into the thin sheet covering him, which provided very little warmth, or modesty, for that matter, to his unclothed body. He sighed, throwing his arm out to the right, feeling around the remaining space on the small mattress he laid upon. He was saddened, though not altogether surprised, as his hand was met with nothing but empty air and cool sheets.

Finally accepting his fate, Seto pulled himself into an upright position, glancing over at the empty side of the mattress and spotting only a note, scrawled in the runic language on a small piece of parchment, rather than a warm body. He snorted. Of course the idiot had written the note in rune. That didn't _at all_ put Seto in danger. He narrowed his eyes; anyone could have walked past that open window and with just a single look in, Seto would have been ruined; his cover completely blown out of the water. And Brice knew it.

Seto glared at the little piece of paper that rested innocently upon the bed, silently blaming that piece of paper for all of the emotional turmoil the author of the message always caused him. He reached out and snatched the note up, beginning to read the contents despite knowing that they would only succeed in angering him.

 **Thank you for last night, dove. It was wonderful, as always. The stress-relief was much needed.**

 **-Brice**

Seto grit his teeth, crumpling the note into a ball and throwing it to the other side of the small room. _Dove._ The absolute nerve. Seto did everything he could for the asshole and what did he get in return? A fuck every once in a while? And even that was only to please Brice.

Seto huffed angrily, a noise which quickly turned pained as he stood and drew the blankets around himself to cover his naked form. Brice wasn't a gentle man by any means when it came to his treatment of Seto; a fact which was brutally apparent in the dark bruises that had bloomed upon his hips and thighs overnight. Seto hurried over to the window, quickly closing the shutters to prevent any more icy breezes from drifting in through the opening. The fucker couldn't even close the window after him when he left.

Seto carded his hand through his hair, frustrated. He exhaled slowly, allowing his temper to simmer down as he dropped the thin sheet to the floor and hurried to the small hope chest that sat upon the floor next to his worn mattress. Opening the chest, he pulled out a faded purple button-up blouse and a pair of threadbare dark brown trousers. The fabric was rough on his skin; scratchy, annoying, and entirely too restrictive for his tastes. He was a _sorcerer_ , for Notch's sake; he should be wearing charmed robes and armor, not the clothes of the human race. Robes allowed him to move- to fight. He would be lucky if he could even place a kick properly in these trousers; not that he'd ever have the opportunity to try if they continued to degrade at the rate they were. The pants had been well-made at one point, but with how hard Seto was forced to work for his meagre living conditions, it was no surprise that they were so worn-down.

Human clothes, like humans themselves, seemed to last for only a short while. Even the oldest of the human race couldn't live much longer than a hundred years; a fact which, to them, was a curse. Seto considered it a blessing. Sorcerers, unlike humans, possessed life-spans of up to four hundred years. Seto wasn't quite that old, of course; as a matter of fact, he was still quite young, having only lived sixty-two years. He was sure that some individuals would trade their souls for the opportunity to live such a long life, but it truly wasn't some kind of grand gift. Without a mate, a sorcerer's life was lonely. Sorcerers were such a rare species at this point that finding another one was extremely uncommon, so most of them lived their entire lives in solitude. They were extraordinarily powerful, but the price they paid for that power was happiness; their other halves, usually. Of course, there were always exceptions, and there were actually a large amount of mated couples, some of which Seto had actually met while he had been honing his magical skills when he was younger. They had all been extraordinarily happy; most of them surrounded by their precious children.

All of that, of course, had been over forty years ago; before sorcerers had been forced to go into hiding. Back then, their race had been respected and loved, and they could walk freely in their robes, showing off their skill and defending the human race from the great threats that rose up throughout the world. Like all good things, however, that peaceful union of humanity and magic had to come to an end. Nobody quite knew what had happened; at least, they didn't in the magical world, but suddenly all nonhuman races were hunted without mercy. Sorcerers, hybrids- anyone who wasn't fully human was shunned, tortured, or killed. Those who weren't immediately killed in the initial slaughter went into hiding to the best of their ability. Some of the eldest, most well-respected sorcerers alive at the time were murdered; entire hybrid communities destroyed. It was a complete massacre out of nowhere, and at least seventy-five percent of the sorcerer population was obliterated in one fell swoop.

Now, over forty years later, Seto was struggling to make a life for himself. He was constantly combating the emptiness inside of him; a hard-wired instinct to find his predestined soul mate. He had thought, back when he was young and he had just been thrown into the wide world of sorcery, that Brice had been his chosen; they had been the best of friends for the longest time, even sticking together after the Great Massacre. Seto had been smitten with the blond since they had first met, and he had truly thought that Notch had brought him to the man he would spend the rest of his life with, but by the time Seto was forty, he was beginning to stop deluding himself into thinking this was the case. The blond's favorite hobby seemed to have become toying with Seto's feelings, and now, twenty years after that first revelation, all that was left of his feelings was a dull ache, a hollow emptiness, and a shredded heart.

…And of course the inability to say no whenever Brice wanted to sleep with him.

Besides the constant loneliness, Seto had extreme difficulty affording… anything, really. Prices were going up and he wasn't getting paid any more for his jobs than he was before they did so, and his jobs had already paid him poorly to begin with. He hadn't been able to get new clothes in ages, and he slept in what was essentially a pile of hay with a thin sheet thrown over it. He supposed he had it better than some others, though. He had taken in quite a few homeless people and weary travelers looking for better opportunities in the past. His home may have only been a hut with two rooms, but it was better than nothing. It allowed him to help and provide for others as well as himself, so he was content despite the amount of work it took just to afford to keep the small house.

Seto was mainly forced to take up odd jobs around the town; work was scarce for the poor. The only people who seemed to be able to get steady jobs were those who already had more than enough money; rich getting richer and all that. Putting food on his table was a struggle, even when he didn't have a guest in the house. He had no idea what the nether Brice did for a living; just that the other sorcerer never stayed in one place for too long, and he had enough money to adorn himself with fine garments; a luxury Seto doubted he would ever be able to afford if he didn't get an actual job.

Seto sighed as he was pulled out of his quiet reflection by a loud knock on the door. It was probably some rich prick who was only there to demand things of him and be generally rude and nasty since he knew that Seto wouldn't- _couldn't_ \- fight back because he needed the payout.

Seto looked carefully around the room to ensure that he didn't have any spell books or magical items lying about before going over to open the door and cease the incessant knocking.

Lo and behold; the second Seto opened the door, he was shoved aside by a tall man dressed in finery. The man barged into his house, looking around at the state of the house distastefully, as if Seto wasn't standing right behind him glaring daggers into his back.

Seto cleared his throat loudly, effectively ceasing the man's critiquing of his home and instead moving the focus to Seto himself. The man's gaze roved over Seto's lithe, underfed form; his eyes eventually narrowing in displeasure at the sight. Seto resisted the urge to roll his eyes, instead plastering on his best fake smile.

"Good afternoon, sir. Was there something you needed?" He prodded; his tone gentle even as a low simmer of rage began to churn within him. His smile was basically just him baring his teeth at the other man, but the man was either too stupid or too oblivious to notice.

The man sneered at him, "I was told that there was someone here who could help me with a problem I'm having, but it seems that the person who told me that was a liar. I'll look elsewhere for a solution."

Seto narrowed his eyes slightly, a gesture that once again went unnoticed by the other man. He hated sucking up to people like this, but he hadn't eaten for at least thirty-six hours, so he desperately needed the money. He allowed his lips to form a gentle smile, reaching out and resting his hand on the other man's bicep. "Oh, sir, I'm plenty qualified for whatever you have to ask of me. I've done quite an array of jobs over the years, I'm sure I can handle whatever you need." He allowed a bit of his magic to honey-coat his words so that the man would find his offer more convincing. He hated using his magic- mainly because of how risky it was. One false move and he could be burned alive; but he needed this money desperately. He couldn't go much longer without eating; it would make him unable to work, and sorcerers were just as susceptible to starvation as humans.

The larger man's eyes glazed over slightly as the sugared words registered in his mind. He opened his mouth, stuttering for a moment before his eyes cleared and he straightened. He shrugged off Seto's hand, and Seto hid a smirk as the other man began to speak again, "Yes. Well, I suppose I could let you at least attempt the job. The people in this town certainly won't miss one citizen should he go missing. Fine, then. My wife and I have been continuously awakened for the past two nights by a loud howling noise and I don't intend to dirty my favorite rifle with the blood of some mangy mutt. I'd rather have people like you take care of such affairs for me."

Seto resisted the urge to tear this man's head off. Unfortunately, though, the man was correct. The people in this town certainly wouldn't miss Seto; a mere peasant, should he go missing, but they would certainly miss a member of the aristocracy - which this man was without a doubt.

He pretended to ponder the offer for a moment, despite already knowing that he _had_ to take the job; no matter how dangerous. He kept his tone soft as he replied, "Certainly, sir. I would be happy to help you with your dilemma. Of course, I'll need to know your name and what you intend to give me as payment… I can't afford to simply give away my abilities for free, you see."

The man scoffed at the sorcerer's reply, as if he had said something ridiculous, "Of course a plebian such as yourself wouldn't be able to recognize me; I don't usually socialize with _your kind._ _I_ am Vincent Nickola Obenaur III, and _you_ will show some respect, _boy._ As for your payment; you will get two gold nuggets if you complete the task."

Seto cringed internally, "Sir, I'm afraid that the risk is too large for such a small payment… That isn't even enough to buy me food for three days…"

The man, Vincent, grinned maliciously down at the sorcerer, slowly beginning to back towards the door, "Well, then I suppose I'll just have to find someone else who will actually appreciate my _generosity._ You need to learn to take what you're given, child."

Seto observed the man before him; deciding that he couldn't be more than thirty. He almost snorted aloud. Seto was at least twice this man's age. Unfortunately, though, Vincent was getting closer to the door, and if Seto let him go, he wouldn't be eating at all.

"Wait," Seto bit out through clenched teeth. Vincent turned around and smirked at him as if he had won, which, Seto supposed; he had. "I'll do it." He muttered, his gaze trailing to the ground.

"Good boy," Vincent patronized, catching the shorter man's chin with one of his hands and bringing it up until their eyes met, "Like a well-trained dog eating out of my hand… it seems as though I'm dealing with a mangy mutt whether I want to or not."

Seto tried his hardest not to think of the wide range of ways he could kill this man right this second with only his thumb. He failed, but he tried; at least. "Sir," he muttered, "I need to get ready to go hunt your beast, if you would please let me show you out."

Vincent barked a laugh, seizing Seto's forearm and bringing their faces so close together that Seto could smell the other man's breath as it fanned over his face. Seto shuddered in disgust; trying desperately not to think about the dirty hand that was currently clamped around his arm.

"You had better not mess this up, boy… Do not test me. I possess the power to _ruin_ you." He snarled quietly, staring at the shorter man with fire in his eyes as he waited for a response.

Seto winced; well-aware that Vincent was once again correct. This man had the power to take away even Seto's few meagre possessions with just a few words. He swallowed hard and forced himself to meet the aristocrat's eyes, fighting off another chill as he met the man's icy gaze.

"Yes, sir."

* * *

Seto crept through the dark forest silently. He had his daggers strapped to the leather strip tied around his waist; one on either thigh. He'd rather not kill any innocent animals, but he'd rather be safe than sorry. One false move against the creature he was hunting and he would be dead. Vincent's description of the noises he heard led Seto to believe that it was some kind of wolf or coyote, but the possibility was always present that it was a werewolf, so he had brought silver just in case.

Moonbeams dotted the ground, dripping through the leaves like quicksilver; just a little too bright for Seto to be at ease. The visibility was far too high. All of his stealth wouldn't do a thing if he was plainly visible in the brightness. The full moon proudly crowned the sky, and it only increased Seto's nerves. Something was off, and Seto wasn't sure if he was prepared to fight another supernatural creature. The last time he had been forced to kill a werewolf had been ten years ago; and that had been with Brice's help.

Still; he needed to do this. At least being mauled by a werewolf was a quicker death than starvation. He'd rather die quickly than slowly, even if the quick death came after large amounts of pain. He tried to shake the thought out of his head. He wouldn't be dying tonight. Nope.

Seto continued to walk carefully through the woods. It was too silent. There was no wind; no leaves rustling, owls hooting… not even any monsters. Seto was unsettled, to say the least. The woods were never this quiet, especially not when the moon was full. That was when monsters were supposed to be the most active, yet the silence continued to ring in his ears.

Seto's thoughts were cut short as his vision began to fog up. He swiped his gloved fingers over his eyes, believing that his eyes had simply teared up, but when he drew his hand back; his vision was still blurred. Confused, he continued walking; growing more alarmed as the veil over his eyes became thicker, eventually preventing him from seeing more than a yard in front of him.

Seto's eyes darted around; noticing a lack of trees before him, he concluded that he was at the entrance to a clearing. The smog was thickest here, and Seto was now able to smell that it was smoke. He tore a strip of cloth from his shirt, despairing over how much time it would take to sew the garment back together as he tied it over his mouth and nose. He was tempted to light a torch, but he knew that someone had to have started the fire that had created all this smoke, and, with his luck, they were probably still around. He wondered absently how he hadn't seen the smoke rising from the village, but that wasn't important right now.

Seto froze as he heard a twig snap to his left. Slowly, he shifted into a defensive stance and turned his head until he was looking in the direction of the sound. He came face-to-face with an eight-foot tall ogre. The magical aura of the creature hit him all at once, as if he had just been punched. He questioned how he hadn't felt it earlier, but it was too late now.

Seto had just enough time to mutter a quiet, "Oh, fuck," before he was forced to jump to the side as the beastly creature brought a giant club down onto the spot where Seto had previously been. The creature huffed angrily, yanking the weapon out of the crater it had created in the ground, and facing Seto, glaring down at the tiny sorcerer threateningly. The ogre hefted its club once again, ready to take another swing. Seto yelped, raising his hands and forming a hasty force-field around himself to prevent damage to his… everything.

The ogre snarled as his armament cracked down upon the force-field; forcing the flimsy magic to fade, but not before the sorcerer inside had escaped. "Filthy, puny sorcerer!" The creature shrieked, "Disgusting, tricky, deceiver! I will kill you!"

Seto muttered another string of quiet curses, drawing his daggers as the creature turned once again to face him. He needed to get behind the monster, but without some kind of diversion it was unlikely that he would be able to get the ogre to turn around for long enough. It was just his luck that he ran into an ogre, too. And it was very likely that this wasn't even the creature he was hunting, either. Ogres didn't howl. And they hated sorcerers. Fabulous.

The ogre bellowed more insults as it swiped its hand toward the sorcerer, as if swatting at a fly. Seto jumped back, slashing outwards and slicing off the behemoth's pinky as the large appendage passed. The ogre screeched, drawing its hand back to cradle it to his chest. It bared its teeth at Seto.

"Wicked, tiny sorcerer! Interrupting Merug's hunting! Will have to eat you instead!" The creature lurched at the sorcerer once again. Seto readied himself to sidestep, but he was startled as the ogre's other hand caught him in the chest, slamming him into a tree and stealing his breath. Seto cried out in pain as a sharp _crack_ pierced the air. Great, just what he needed- broken ribs. This job was absolutely _not_ worth it.

Seto struggled to pull himself off the ground as the hulking being stalked towards him slowly and deliberately. The monster had dropped his club; freeing up his other hand and allowing him to get the upper hand on the sorcerer. Seto fought to breathe through the pain; readying himself to cast a spell of some sort at the ogre as it closed in on his prone form.

Merug finally reached the smaller creature at the base of the tree, wrapping his hand around it and bringing it up to his eyes. The sorcerer thrashed in his fist. Merug narrowed his eyes, applying more pressure to the fragile body and grinning when the puny creature let out a muffled scream. "The little sorcerer will die now," he huffed, "Merug has found his dinner."

Seto yelped as the giant creature applied more pressure to his ribs; further damaging the already fractured bones. His mind raced, trying to think of a plan to get himself out of this. He had dropped one of his daggers when the ogre had smacked him into a tree earlier in the battle, and the other one was currently trapped against his side by the monster's tight grip. Sorcerers required a clear mind to cast their magic, and the pain he was experiencing right now wasn't helping. So magic was out. What else did he have right now that he could use? His dagger was out of the picture… He didn't really have any way out of this. He couldn't just give up, though!

He could always use trickery, but he couldn't charm his words if they didn't come out smoothly, which he doubted they would do while he was having such a hard time breathing. The cloth tied around his mouth was doing more harm than good right now, but he had to try.

"Wait!" Seto gasped, cursing internally as his voice came out rough and scratchy, "You don't want to eat me!"

The ogre paused, tilting its head to the side inquisitively, "Why not?"

Seto celebrated on the inside as he carefully crafted a reply, "Well, you see, it's dangerous to just _eat_ sorcerers…"

The ogre growled at him, "What do you mean, little sorcerer?"

Seto cleared his throat, trying his hardest to coat his words with charm when he spoke again, "You need to cook us, first! Haven't you ever heard of magic poisoning?" He thanked Notch when the words came out smoothly; even if the charm was thin, it would increase his odds of living to tell this tale. He caught movement out of the corner of his eye and almost cursed out loud. The last thing he needed right now was another monster.

"Magic poisoning?" The monster asked suspiciously, "There is no such thing. I have eaten many of your kind. The puny sorcerer is a liar." The ogre snarled as it reached its final conclusion.

Seto's stomach rolled at the ogre's claim. He wondered if he had known any of the sorcerers that this monster had consumed. He couldn't worry about that right now, though; he had his own death to prevent. Seto clicked his tongue, shaking his head in faux sorrow, "Oh, you poor creature! The poison has obviously already taken ahold of your wretched soul! Run! Save yourself! You could perish at any moment! This is no falsehood!"

The ogre's eyes widened in fear as the sorcerer's charmed words registered in his head. Seto almost shouted in joy as the creature began to lower him down to the ground. He was okay. He would live through this. He could go back to the village and tell Vincent that he wasn't able to complete the contract. He could find food elsewhere. This wasn't worth it.

Suddenly, as if a spell was broken- which Seto supposed it was- the ogre's eyes narrowed and it tightened its grip on him once more. Seto cried out. "Liar!" The creature snarled, "False! I will tear out your tongue, witch! Sorcerers always lie!"

Seto whimpered; his ribs flaring up in fiery pain and his vision going white as the monster continued to steadily squeeze him tighter and tighter. "No!" Seto screamed, hoping to startle the ogre into dropping him, "No, please! You don't understand!"

The ogre roared at him, "Merug understands, sorcerer! Silence! No more lies! It is time for Merug to eat!"

Seto squeezed his eyes shut as the monster brought him to his maw; not wishing to witness his own death. Seto's eyes snapped open, however, as he was suddenly dropped to the ground. He moaned in pain as his ribs were jolted once again. His eyes widened as he caught sight of the ogre before him. The creature had turned to stone, and even as he watched, the petrified monster was crumbling into dust. The ogre was dead, but what in the world had killed it?

Seto stood up slowly, hand flying up to clutch at his chest. As the last bit of the monster crumbled, Seto was able to see what, or rather, who, had killed it. It was a child. Standing before him was a small child who couldn't have been more than eight. He wore a tattered long-sleeved shirt much like Seto's own. Seto guessed that it had formerly been white, but it was caked in mud, ash, and what looked to be blood. The boy's hair was an auburn mess atop his head, and Seto resisted the urge to reach out and run his fingers through it to fix it a bit. The boy stared at him with wide red eyes.

Seto wondered what a child was doing out here in the woods all alone. ' _He could get hurt,_ ' he thought, concerned, ' _and he doesn't even have anything covering his mouth; he's going to asphyxiate._ ' The boy was shakily holding one of Seto's daggers in his hands, his small body trembling. Seto realized that this child had saved his life. With the danger gone, Seto could now see that he was in a burned-out village. Maybe this child had lived here?

Seto slowly kneeled down on the ground so he didn't look so imposing to the small child. He was mindful of his injured ribs, already thinking of which healing charm would work the fastest on the damaged bones. The frightened boy kept his bright eyes locked with Seto's own the entire time. Cautiously, Seto reached out to the child. He couldn't just leave him out here. He would see if his parents were with him, and if they weren't he would take the boy home with him and decide what to do from there.

As Seto's hand neared him, the boy squeaked and darted into the brush. Seto cursed, hastily snatching up the dagger that the child hadn't taken with him and fastening it to his belt again. He stood and quickly murmured a healing spell. Then, he shoved the pain to the back of his mind and took off after the boy.

* * *

As he ran through the woods, Seto was willing to admit that there was some perks to being a sorcerer; endurance being one of those. He had been running for about two minutes in the direction that the boy had gone. He hoped that the boy hadn't thought to change direction or anything. He wouldn't be able to sleep at night knowing that he had left an innocent child all alone in the woods.

The smoke began to clear as he got farther and farther away from the smoldering ruins of the village. He yanked the cloth away from his mouth and nose, relieved to finally be able to breathe comfortably again. Finally, he reached another clearing - this one mercifully clear of any smoke. He ground to a halt as he took in the sight before him.

The boy he had seen earlier was being held by another boy who looked slightly older. The second boy had long dark brown hair that was being held back by a thin band and a black shirt and trousers. There was a golden amulet hanging loosely around his neck that had an amethyst embedded in the middle. Seto sensed a faint magic signature being exuded from the amulet, so he figured it had belonged to a mage at some point. The other boy's tan skin contrasted sharply with the first boy's own porcelain skin. The dagger lay abandoned next to their feet as they latched onto each other as if their lives depended on it.

Seto shifted uneasily, trying to decide what to do. He heard some dead leaves crunch under his foot. Well, guess he didn't need to make a decision anymore.

Quick as a flash, the taller of the two children had pushed the younger-looking one behind him and snatched up the dagger that had been sitting innocently next to his foot, holding it like someone who had experience with the weapon. Seto took a step forward and the second child's eyes narrowed. Fully aware of the danger, Seto held his hands above his head, allowing the child to see the absence of a weapon. He slowly lowered himself to the ground, trailing one hand down to his waist and unfastening his remaining dagger, keeping the weapon in clear sight of the child who was following all of Seto's movements with his eyes, he slid the weapon towards the two children and away from himself. He remained crouched to the ground, once again aiming to seem as unthreatening as possible. Two kids, one of which had some combat experience. Alright. He could deal with this.

Seto kept any charm out of his voice as he spoke. If he was going to be taking care of these two; their relationship needed to be built on trust - not magic. "I wanted to thank you," he murmured, watching cautiously as the taller child lowered the dagger a bit, his golden eyes nearly glowing in the moon's bright light, "You saved my life." At this, the smaller boy peeked out from behind the other child, and Seto winced at the tear tracks on his cheeks. He didn't mean to make him cry.

"He did magic," the red-eyed boy mumbled, looking at Seto with those same wide-eyes he had stared at him with earlier, "It was like right out of a fairytale." The older boy perked up at this, going back on the defensive.

"I won't hurt either of you. I promise. Sorcerers can't break promises." Seto said soothingly, his mind racing with possibilities as to all the ways this encounter could go.

The taller boy's eyes widened, "Momma said that the sorcerers are all gone… you're lying."

"I'm not lying," Seto denied, "Watch this." He slowly brought one of his hands up and produced an orb that glowed a soft purple. It was a simple light spell, but the children stared at it as if it was an angel. He extinguished the orb again and the brunet child stared at him with cautious eyes.

"You promise you won't hurt us?" He asked.

"Cross my heart." Seto affirmed.

The golden-eyed boy slid his dagger along the ground until it rested next to the other one. Seto sighed in relief. Good. No matter how skilled he was, it worried him to see that child holding such a sharp weapon. He stood slowly.

"What are your names?" Seto asked gently.

"What's _yours_?" The older boy asked sharply, glaring at him.

Seto smiled softly at the child, having expected that response, "My name is Seto. I'm _sixty-two_ years old." He whispered the last statement as if it was some kind of great secret. He supposed it was, in a sense; if anyone at his village found out his true age they would know immediately that he was some kind of magical creature and he'd die, so he hoped these kids didn't divulge the information to anyone.

"Wow," The red-eyed boy breathed, eyes wide with wonder, "You're _old._ "

"Ty!" The older boy hissed, "That's rude!"

The younger child, Ty, lowered his head in embarrassment, "Sorry, mister."

Seto smiled at him, "That's alright. I'm actually young. Sorcerers can sometimes be over _four hundred_ years old." Now both of the children were staring at him in wonder, and Seto felt fond warmth fill him to the brim.

The tall boy cleared his throat, "I'm Adam and this is Ty… He's seven and I'm eight."

Seto grinned, "Wow. You're _old._ "

Ty giggled and Adam hid a smile behind his hand. "No we're not, silly!" Ty laughed brightly.

Seto laughed, calming slightly before he asked his next question, "Where are your parents?"

Instantly, the children's expressions sobered. "We don't have parents," Adam mumbled, "They didn't want us. We used to live in an orphanage, but it burned down. We don't know where Mistress Lindsay is, either."

Seto's heart ached with empathy for the children. He knew what it felt like to be abandoned at such a young age; his own parents having decided that they had better things to do with their long lives than raise a child. He decided in that moment that he would protect these two at all costs.

"I'll take care of you," Seto murmured, "If you'll let me."

Adam hesitated.

"You're injured; probably starving, too," Seto prodded gently, "I'm guessing that you were in that village when it caught fire a couple of days ago, am I right?"

Ty looked down and Adam slung an arm around the younger boy's shoulders, pulling him closer. "We were," Adam confirmed, "That was when our house burned down. But I don't think you want to take us in, sir…"

Seto smiled sadly, walking forward and kneeling down when he was stood in front of the kids, "You don't have to call me sir. Call me Seto. Or whatever else you want to call me. And there's no way I'm leaving you guys out here all alone. It's alright if you don't want to come with me, but at least let me help you find somewhere you'd rather stay… I don't have much money, but I'll figure it out."

Adam hurried to keep from offending him, "No, no! It's not that, si- Seto! It's just… We're not the on-"

Whatever the child was about to say was cut off by a piercing yowling sound. Seto's head snapped up, glancing around in search of danger, subconsciously shielding the two children with his body. His alarm was interrupted, however, as another boy rushed out from the brush to their left. He froze the second he caught sight of the unfamiliar figure standing next to his brothers. He took a few unsure steps back, glancing at Adam for guidance.

The newcomer looked about Ty's age with wild light brown hair and bright blue eyes. He wore a dark blue tunic and loose, black trousers that were held up with a flimsy cord tied tight around his waist. He also wore a light blue choker with a white star on it wrapped around his neck. He had a small ball of fur cradled in his arms, which seemed to be the source of the yowling noise. Seto relaxed his defensive stance as Adam began to speak.

"This is Seto, Jason. He's nice. Come here."

Jason sighed in relief at the statement and rushed forward, handing Adam the small ball of fluff as soon as he reached their little group. Adam rocked the ball of fluff, which Seto could now clearly see, and he gasped as he realized what it was.

"Is that…" He murmured, unable to comprehend what he was seeing.

"Yes," Jason glared, "Jerome is a bacca, and if you have a problem with that; I'd be more than happy to set you straight!"

"Stop it, Jason," Ty said, "Adam said he was nice, remember? Seto is a _sorcerer_."

Jason gaped at Seto; the sorcerer smiling softly at him. Seto turned his gaze to the fussing cub in Adam's arms. Baccas were practically extinct nowadays; even more so than sorcerers. That was mostly due to the fact that they tended to travel in packs, so humans had an easier time of eliminating large numbers of them, unfortunately.

Seto observed the way Adam's brows were knit in worry as he stared down at the cub. A scary thought suddenly struck Seto. He cleared his throat, "May I see Jerome for a moment?" he asked, holding out his arms, "I promise I won't hurt him; I just want to hold him."

Jason stared at him skeptically, turning to stare at Adam, shocked, as he handed the baby bacca right over. Seto decided he'd worry about getting the third little boy to trust him later; he had more pressing matters to attend to right now. Such as the wriggling ball of fuzz in his arms. The infant yowled quietly, and Seto realized that this must've been what Vincent was complaining about. He almost snorted aloud. Yeah; he wasn't going to be killing this cub any time soon. He tenderly pet the cub; its fur was matted with dirt, yet remained soft to the touch. He couldn't imagine how hungry the poor baby must be. He knew how much baby sorcerers needed to eat to be healthy, and he was sure that two whole days without proper food wasn't good for the bacca.

"That's Jerome," Ty piped up from the side, "His mommy died when he was born nine months ago, and his daddy left, so Mistress Lindsay brought him to the orphanage and took care of him there."

Seto's head snapped up. He caught sight of Adam and Jason conversing quietly a few yards away out of the corner of his eye. "Your village didn't try to kill magical creatures?" He asked; stunned. He knew that safe havens existed, but for one to be so close to a village as corrupt as his… No wonder it was burned down.

Ty nodded, seemingly confused, "Yeah… Don't all villages?"

Seto shook his head sadly, "No. Mine doesn't, actually. Nobody knows that I'm a sorcerer, so don't tell anybody! It's a _super-duper secret_ that only you guys get to know. Do you have any more brothers?"

Ty nodded eagerly, and Seto's heart sank a little. Four would be nearly impossible, but any more kids… He didn't think he could do it. He would try, though. These kids needed someone to take care of them; a point which was proven by the hungry cub in his arms. They couldn't do it themselves. They weren't old enough.

Ty seemed oblivious to Seto's turmoil, naming his remaining brothers on his fingers, "You just met Jason. He's seven, like me! And there's Mitch, he's three! And then Ian and Quentin… Ian is five and Quentin is a mudkip and he's six!" The little boy nodded, satisfied, as he finally held up six fingers for Seto to see. "I have six brothers, mister Seto!"

By now, both Adam and Jason were listening in. Adam's face was grim, as if he was waiting for Seto to withdraw his offer for them to come stay with him. He might've been, actually, and Seto decided to try. "Adam," he said gently, "My offer still stands. All seven of you can come stay with me for as long as I'm able to keep you… Hopefully forever."

Adam's eyes widened at Seto's declaration, "All seven of us?" He asked, once again sounding slightly suspicious.

Seto nodded, "Absolutely. I'll provide for you the best that I can. And that's a promise. And you know I can't break those." He shifted the cub to one of his arms and held his hand out to the child, "Do we have a deal, Mister Adam?"

Seto heard Ty giggle behind him and smiled. Adam stared at his extended hand for a moment before tentatively reaching his own hand out to take it. "Deal."

"Now," Seto smiled, handing Jason his fluffy little brother and holding out his hands for the other two boys, "Would you like to introduce me to your other brothers?"


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hello again all of my lovely readers! Don't really have much to say this time around, just that you definitely shouldn't be expecting chapters as long as that first one for the rest of the duration of this story… if it does end up happening, great! But it probably will not, so please don't be disappointed if it doesn't! Also, yes, this story absolutely does jump around to different dates! The first chapter was actually probably the only exception that there will be to that… I hope you all enjoy!**

 **Also, for all of my lovely readers over on FF, please let me know if there's any issues in the text. This site is, unfortunately, a rather big fan of deleting things and changing things from the original document, so if you could let me know if it messed something up, that would be amazing.**

 **Chapter Two**

 **December 26** **th** **, 1875**

As dawn broke over Seto's village, he snuck seven children into his home through the back window. They stuck to the darkness as they traveled, taking all precautions to prevent any run-ins with the people of Seto's village. Seto couldn't even begin to imagine what would happen if somebody saw him leading seven children, two of which were supernatural creatures, to his home.

Seto saw a light come on in the house next door just as he slammed the door to his own home shut. He turned around, doing a headcount of the children, satisfied when he found that they were all there. The children were looking around his home curiously; their nonjudgmental gazes were a sight for sore eyes for Seto. Nobody had looked at him, or anything he owned, like that for ages. It always amazed him how much more sense some children seemed to have than most adults.

Seto kneeled down before the group of kids, all of their eyes turning to him at the sudden movement. He smiled gently at the seven children. He caught the eyes of the three kids who he hadn't met initially. There was Mitch; a toddler who had seen only three summers. He had big, brown doe-eyes and light brown hair. He was wrapped up in a sackcloth dressing gown that practically drowned the small boy in its length; the garment obviously having been meant for older, taller children. There was also Ian; a five-year-old with dark blue eyes and dark brown hair. He wore fine overalls with a black undershirt. His eyes had been downcast throughout the entire trip to Seto's home, and eventually Adam had caught Seto's inquisitive looks and pulled him aside to explain that Ian had been the only one who hadn't lived in the orphanage with the other six. The poor child had lost his parents just two days ago. Finally, there was Quentin; a six-year-old, who, Seto had been stunned to find, was indeed a mudkip. The group of children seemed to be full of surprises and near-extinct species. Quentin, like Jerome, wasn't wearing any clothes, and Seto reached the sad conclusion that despite the kids' old village's tolerance of hybrids, the creatures were still discriminated against. Seto would fix that, though.

Seto carefully scanned each of the children with his eyes. Almost all of them were injured in some way; scratches, scrapes, bruises; but he was looking out for anything particularly important. Years of being a medic in various colleges of magic- back when they had existed- had taught him a thing or two about tending to the wounded and ill. His eyes zeroed in on a particularly bad cut on Adam's calf. Of course; Seto had seen for himself how fiercely Adam protected the others. No wonder he had gotten hurt somewhere along the way.

Seto held out his hand to Adam. Confused, the child grabbed onto the sorcerer's hand, allowing Seto to lead him into his tiny bedroom. Seto gestured for the boy to sit down on the pile of hay Seto called his bed. The boy sat down uneasily, and Seto noticed that the other six children had trailed in after the two of them.

"Stay there please, Adam," Seto smiled reassuringly at the nervous boy, walking over to rifle about in the hope chest, eventually pulling out a medical kit, "And the rest of you might want to leave or cover your eyes… This wound won't be pretty."

Adam's eyes widened at the statement, "Is it gonna hurt?" he mumbled.

Seto glanced apologetically at the child. Unfortunately, he was being forced to choose the lesser of two evils. Either he disinfected the wound now and stitched it so it wouldn't get infected later, or he left the cut and it became infected, which could potentially kill Adam. "I'll try to make it hurt as little as possible, Adam," Seto said gently, "I need to rub some special medicine on it that will make it sting, but it will make sure you don't get sick. Then I need to tie it up with this," He held up the needle here, causing Adam's eyes to widen once more, "I'll make that hurt less with magic, though. I would just heal you, but it would only close the cut on the outside, and if you're already sick it will do more harm than good."

Adam nodded slowly; Seto's words making sense in a way he wasn't used to. Most adults he spoke to liked to be subtle and roundabout when they talked about frightening things to him. It was somewhat refreshing to just be told outright what was going to happen to him. "Alright…" Adam mumbled.

Seto looked around, noting the lack of Ty, Jerome, Mitch, Ian, and Quentin. Jason had stuck around and was leaning against the wall; taking in the proceedings with watchful eyes as if he was afraid that Seto would hurt his brother.

Seto turned his attention back to the nervous child before him. "You're very brave," he praised, "I don't think I've ever even met an adult who was so brave about things like this. It's very impressive."

As expected, the small boy puffed his chest out proudly, "I'm ready."

Seto smiled at him, pulling on a pair of gloves and dousing a cloth with alcohol. He couldn't afford a proper medical-grade antiseptic, but he had learned back when he was training in the medical field which alcohols would work the best, as well as which ones could work a little _too_ well and cause tissue damage. This medical kit was actually probably the most expensive thing he owned, and it had only been provided to him because he had needed to play doctor about a year ago for some rich man who had been completely intolerable, just like nearly all of his other customers.

Seto scooted toward the bed, pulling Adam's leg until it was stretched out and easily accessible. He held his hand out, inviting Adam to grab it if he needed to. Gently, he began to pat at the wound with the cloth, immediately feeling a pressure on his outstretched hand. He glanced up; catching sight of Adam's pained expression and gritted teeth.

"I know it hurts. I'm sorry I can't do anything to ease the pain; my magic reserves are just about depleted for the night, and I'm sure you'll want to be numb when I stitch the cut," Seto said apologetically.

The boy nodded; his grip on Seto's hand tightening as Seto applied pressure to the wound. Seto winced in sympathy, knowing just how much it hurt when such a deep cut was disinfected. Finally, he was done. He patted Adam's foot.

"I'm all done with the hard part," Seto said gently, noticing the tears in the corners of Adam's eyes, "Now I can use magic and the rest shouldn't hurt one bit. I recommend not watching, though; it's not a fun thing to watch and it will only make you panic. Jason, if you want to come talk to him that would be a big help."

Nodding, Jason scooted closer to the bed and began to recall fond memories with Adam. It was heart-achingly sweet, and Seto was almost distracted from the task at hand. Shaking his head slightly, he tenderly set a hand over the wound; quietly murmuring an incantation under his breath and watching as the area glowed a faint purple. Quickly, while Adam was still distracted, Seto grabbed a needle and began to stitch the wound shut. In no time, and thankfully without any pained noises or expressions from Adam, Seto was finished.

Seto cleaned off his equipment, setting it back in the kit and peeling off his gloves to be disposed of later. "All done," he announced, smiling when Adam's eyes widened in bewilderment, "That wasn't so bad, was it?"

Adam wrinkled his nose as he looked at the cut, "That didn't hurt at all… It looks gross."

Seto laughed as he saw Jason pantomime a gag when he looked at the stitches. "Yeah, it looks a little nasty, doesn't it? Now, you need to be really careful with that leg for the next week or so. If you aren't you could tear the stitches open and we'd have to do it again. Plus, tearing stitches hurts."

Adam smiled brightly, "Yes, Mister Seto!"

Seto grinned at the young boy, "Good boy. Now, can you go get Ty? He had a cut on his arm and it looks like it probably hurts."

Adam saluted, "Yes, sir!" And with that, he and his brother ran out of the room.

Seto yelped, "Don't run!" He sighed. He got the feeling he was going to be redoing those stitches a few times.

* * *

Seto's little "clinic" stayed open for the next two and a half hours, Seto making sure to clean and dress every wound to prevent infection. By the end of it all, he knew he would need a new kit soon, but he had finished the job. The boys were now sat huddled on and around Seto's bed, fawning over Jerome and Mitch. Seto smiled. These kids were adorable.

Glancing at the clock, Seto knew he would need to find some food for them soon. It was nearly noon and none of them had eaten in two days. Just as he had begun mentally taking inventory of what food he had in his possession, there was a loud knock on the door. Seto groaned. He had forgotten about Vincent.

Hurrying over to his bedroom doorway, Seto peeked in at the children who were all staring at him with varying degrees of fear. Seto smiled reassuringly at the group. "Listen, I need you all to stay in here and be very quiet until this man leaves. He's very cruel, and I don't want him hurting any of you."

With that, Seto quickly closed the curtain separating the two rooms and rushed to open the door. Just as before, he was shoved aside as the proud man strode into his house like he owned the place. The man looked around once again; his opinion of Seto's home having obviously remained the same, judging by the disgusted expression upon his face. Suddenly, the man wrinkled his nose and Seto became aware of the thick smell of iron permeating the air. He bit back a curse.

Vincent turned to face Seto, "Why in the name of Notch does your house smell of blood?"

Seto thought fast, "I had a patient earlier today. Some fisherman managed to mangle his leg with a hook." The lie slipped past his lips easily; his entire life in this village was a lie, so what was one more?

Vincent sniffed, upturning his nose to the air. "Well it smells awful in here, though I'm not really surprised to find that you live in squander like a sewer rat."

Seto gritted his teeth, "I disposed of your beast, Mister Obenaur. I would very much appreciate it if you would uphold your end of the bargain now."

Vincent snorted; his lip curling in distaste, "Insolence. You disgust me. Talking to someone of my stature in such a way… Were I a lesser man, I would half your pay just for that."

Seto narrowed his eyes, no longer caring about how rude he came across, "Sir, I have done as you asked. You have promised me two gold pieces upon the completion of your job. Regardless of what your status is, I can still contact the sheriff."

The other man sneered, his eyes flaring with rage. Seto felt pain explode in his cheek and he cried out softly, hoping that he wouldn't scare the children. His hand flew up to cover the stinging skin, and his eyes watered slightly as he glared at the man before him. Vincent was breathing heavily, his hand still raised. "Are you quite finished?" Seto whispered fiercely, "Or shall I go get the sheriff?"

Vincent snarled, fishing two gold nuggets out of his pocket and throwing them at Seto's feet. "You've made an enemy, mutt," he hissed.

Seto crossed his arms, ignoring the pain in his cheek, "Please remove yourself from my home, Mister Obenaur."

Vincent glared at him, eventually turning and leaving with a slam of the door. Seto sighed, walking over and pulling back the curtain to his room. He walked in and sat down on the last clear spot of the bed. Adam stared at him with concern as Seto put his head in his hands.

"Seto…?" Ian murmured timidly, "Is something wrong?" Seto was about to deny the inquiry, not wanting to upset the children, but Adam piped up before he could.

"He hit you," Adam frowned, distraught, "Why did he hit you?"

Seto sighed again, "Don't worry about it, Adam," he comforted, "You'll learn when you get older."

Adam huffed, crossing his arms indignantly, "I'm already eight years old!"

Seto laughed, "Now," he began, scooping Jerome up into his arms and scratching the cub's fuzzy belly, "who's hungry?"

* * *

 **January 9** **th** **, 1876**

Seto groaned as he kicked open the door to his home. He was carrying an armful of straw as well as another sheet. He had done a house call for one of the few polite customers he occasionally got, and they had paid him well enough that he could get supplies for another bed. Their little group had been sleeping curled around each other on Seto's small mattress for the past two weeks, so Seto figured the kids would appreciate a little more space.

Closing the door behind himself, Seto was met with several cheerful greetings. He smiled at the children, nodding towards the bedroom as an implication that they should follow. They did, though Seto didn't miss the several confused looks that were sent his way.

As Seto and the children reached the bedroom, Seto quickly set up the second bed on the opposite wall of the first one. Seto grinned as he heard Ty let out an excited squeal. The auburn-haired child jumped onto the mattress, bouncing slightly and smiling up at Seto. Seto laughed as Ian and Quentin excitedly hopped onto the bed with Ty.

Seto was still amazed at how excited Ian got over the things Seto gave him. After all, according to Adam; Ian's parents were fairly wealthy, so the child really should have been confused at the way the quality level of his possessions had suddenly decreased, but Ian still continued to get excited every time Seto gave him something, and he was extremely sweet just like the rest of them, so Seto didn't worry about it too much.

Seto walked out to the main room, allowing the children to play in the bedroom as he prepared a bottle for Jerome. Suffice it to say, he had gotten quite a strange look from the merchant when he bought it, but he had told some lie about bottles being cheaper and how they worked just fine as glasses after you removed the nipple. He trailed into the bedroom again. The bacca had curled up into a ball and was currently sleeping on the first mattress. Seto gently picked up the cub, carrying him past the giggling children and out into the kitchen.

Seto sat at the small table in the main room, allowing the tiny bacca to suckle at the bottle while Seto thought. He had worked nearly nonstop last week to raise enough money for material for new clothes for the children. Jerome and Quentin both had clothes by now, but the other five were still wearing the practically destroyed garments from their old village. Seto and the kids were currently eating just once a day and the meals were small. Seto knew he needed a steady job, but he didn't know anyone who was looking for help right now. Seto wouldn't be able to allow the children to stay here if he suddenly was no longer able to afford food- he couldn't do that to them. At the same time, though, he also knew that nobody would take seven children in all at once, especially when two of them weren't human. He couldn't bring himself to separate them, either. On the bright side, Seto hadn't ended up needing to redo Adam's stitches, but it was small consolation for the decision he was being forced to make.

Of course, even as he thought through all of this, Seto knew he wouldn't ever give the kids up. He was selfish. He had already grown attached to the children. Besides, he had promises to keep. Seto looked up as he heard a soft knock at the door. Adam came scurrying out of the bedroom as Seto carefully stood up, taking Jerome from Seto's arms into his own and continuing to feed the cub as he went back into the bedroom and drew the curtain behind him.

Seto walked over to the door, opening it and smiling when he was greeted by the sight of two of the only people he liked in this town. Kyle was a tall man with blond hair that tended to take on a pink tint whenever it caught the light and bright blue eyes, and Tyler was only slightly shorter with brown hair and gray eyes obscured by glasses.

Seto hugged the two men, allowing them to enter his home with a smile. The blond and the brunet trailed into his house, Seto shutting the door behind the two.

Kyle smiled at him, "We haven't seen you in two weeks, Seto! And your shutters were always closed, so we were worried that you had left without even saying goodbye!"

Seto patted Kyle's shoulder comfortingly, "I would never leave without you guys knowing. Unless, you know, it was necessary. In which case I would. But don't worry about that right now."

Tyler laughed, "Well that's reassuring! I was worried for a minute there!"

The three of them took a seat around the table. They chatted about various things for a few minutes, but eventually they got to the subject of Seto himself.

"Are you alright, Seto?" Kyle asked, concerned.

"Of course I am… why wouldn't I be?" Seto confusedly asked, his eyebrows furrowing.

"Well, it's just… Kyle and I were worried when we didn't see you for such a long time, and with how hard of a time you've been having finding a proper job, we were scared that maybe you had fallen ill- or worse," Tyler murmured, leaning closer and lowering his voice; as if someone were listening in.

"No!" Seto rushed to assuage the couple's worries, "No, that's not it at all! I'm alright; I've just been really busy these past couple of weeks!"

Tyler seemed to relax at Seto's denial, but Seto could tell that Kyle wasn't yet ready to let it go. He just hoped that he wouldn't be super persistent; Seto was a phenomenal liar, but he hated lying to his friends.

Kyle's forehead creased in concern as he spotted a shadow on the side of Seto's face. He reached out, grasping Seto's chin and turning his face until he had a better look. Seto winced at the expression of cold fury on Kyle's face. "Seto…" Kyle began, voice deathly calm, "Who did this to you?"

Seto stuttered. He absolutely was _not_ going to allow Kyle to go get himself in trouble by trying to beat the shit out of some stuck-up noble. Unfortunately, it seemed that the bruise that Vincent had left a couple of weeks ago hadn't yet fully faded.

Kyle noticed Seto's hesitance. He pursed his lips, "Seto, was it that Brice guy? Do I need to kick his ass?"

Seto's eyes widened, "No, it wasn't Brice! I swear!" He added at the look of disbelief he received from Kyle, "One of my customers was an asshole because he didn't want to pay up, that's all!"

Kyle glared past Seto's head, burning holes in the wall. "Who do I have to kill, Seto?"

Seto let out a long-suffering sigh, " _Nobody,_ Kyle. I'm not going to tell you who it was; the last thing I need is for you to go running headfirst into trouble with the sheriff."

Kyle growled, "He _hit_ you!"

Seto groaned exasperatedly, "I've been hit before, Kyle; I can take a little cuff to the face."

Kyle stared petulantly at the ground, "You shouldn't have to, though. You're so nice to everyone."

"Thank you, Kyle," Seto smiled at the blond, "That's very sweet, but I can take care of myself. Don't worry about me."

Kyle shook his head, "You know Tyler and I will always be worried about you, Seto."

Seto sighed. Vaguely, he registered Tyler, who had been silent up until this point; ask if he was allowed to retrieve a blanket from Seto's room. He absentmindedly nodded his assent. His eyes widened as he realized just what Tyler had asked. He darted up, crying out a "wait!" just as the other man drew back the curtain to his bedroom.

Seto quickly moved in front of Tyler, but the damage had already been done. Tyler stared at the group of children huddled around each other on the second mattress, his mouth hanging open. Seto sighed again. "Tyler, I swear if you touch even a single hair on any one of these kids' heads, so help me Notch…"

Tyler yelped, holding his hands up defensively and backing up a step; right into Kyle who was now also gaping at the sight before him.

"Mister Seto…?" Quentin asked timidly.

Seto winced, "Give me just a moment, dear," he replied, his voice strained.

Seto turned to Kyle and Tyler, pointing back to the table, "Sit."

The two were quick to comply.

Seto groaned, collapsing into the third chair at the table. He scrubbed his hands over his face, eventually looking up at the two men in front of him. The kids had slowly trailed out of the bedroom and were now standing by Seto's side, staring at the strangers with fearful eyes.

"So…" Tyler mumbled awkwardly, "I guess this is what you've been doing these past two weeks…?"

Seto heaved a sigh, "Yes, Tyler, this is what I've been doing these past two weeks."

Kyle suddenly looked greatly offended, "And you didn't think to tell us?! Look at them!" He gestured wildly at the children, "They're so cute! I can't believe you tried to deny me my nephews!"

Seto sputtered, " _Nephews?!_ "

Kyle nodded, "Well, duh! If you're daddy or mommy or whatever, Tyler and I are obviously the uncles!"

Seto flushed bright red, "Who ever said I was their parent?!"

Tyler raised an eyebrow, "Well you did just threaten to kill us if we touched them, so I'm going to go ahead and say you've entered full momma-bear mode at this point," his expression sobered suddenly, "But seriously, Seto, whose kids are these? Where are their parents?"

Seto's eyes narrowed, "They're standing right here. And their village burned down a couple of weeks ago and I couldn't bring myself to leave them there."

Tyler knitted his eyebrows, "Yes, but why didn't you just take them to the orphanage here in town?"

Seto stared at him as if he'd gone daft, "Oh, yes; because taking a mudkip and a bacca cub to _our_ village's orphanage would be a _wonderful_ idea that wouldn't turn out horribly _at all_ ," Seto snorted, "Besides, I wasn't about to let them be separated." Seto smiled at the kids.

"Okay; that's adorable," Kyle decided, "But how are you affording this?"

Seto sighed, "Truthfully, Kyle, I'm not. These past two weeks have been some of the hardest of my life, but I can't just bring myself to give them up. And I promised that I wouldn't in the first place."

Tyler worriedly massaged his temples, "So you've been trying to raise seven kids on what little money the assholes in this town give you for the jobs you pull for them?"

Seto snorted, " _Succeeding,_ Tyler."

Tyler raised an eyebrow.

"Okay," Seto admitted, "Maybe not quite _succeeding_ , but I'm doing the best I can."

Kyle and Tyler looked at each other, conversing silently. Tyler hesitantly piped up, "If we pull, like, a _lot_ of strings, we may be able to get you a job at the store…"

Seto's eyes widened. Kyle and Tyler owned a fairly popular mercantile in the village, and they were usually absolutely full of people looking to get a job there, so for the two of them to offer him a job… Seto beamed at the two, "Thank you so much. You have no idea how much this means to me."

Kyle smiled at him, "Don't mention it, Seto. And I do have a bit of an idea; I've seen what my sister does just to take care of my niece. That shit is tough, and for you to be raising seven kids on such a small budget…"

Seto smiled at him, "Yeah, I get the idea. Thank you, though. It really does mean a lot. Just… don't tell anyone about the kids, please? I'm still trying to figure that out and I don't even want to imagine what would happen if people found out that I was housing two so-called 'abominations'."

Tyler nodded vehemently, "Our lips are sealed, Seto. Now, we have to get going! We've got strings to pull and things to sell!"

Seto stood up, leading the two to the door and embracing them warmly on their way out, "Don't be strangers, you two."

Kyle laughed, "Don't you worry, Seto; I think you'll be seeing more than enough of us pretty soon."

* * *

 **December 11** **th** **, 1876**

Seto sighed exasperatedly as he heard a loud banging on the door. It was nearly midnight, and today had already been nothing but distractions. He had a Christmas to prepare for! He had seven kids who needed presents! He was nearly done knitting a blanket for Jerome, and he was being interrupted _again._ Work today had been awful, though that was to be expected considering the fact that Christmas was less than fifteen days away.

And he had just gotten all of the kids to bed, too. Seto grumbled as he went to open the door. Swinging the door open, Seto was suddenly pulled into a tight grasp. Seto let out an alarmed cry, his eyes widening. Seto lurched backwards, struggling to pull his assailant's hands off of him. Finally releasing himself from the other person's clutches, Seto held the mystery person back at arm's length.

Seto's eyes narrowed into a glare. Of course. Brice. Just what he needed.

Brice's gold-spun blond hair was a complete and utter mess; though that wasn't anything unusual. The other man's fine black and gold garments were in disarray; his shirt rumpled and his pants ripped. He looked like he'd been through the nether, but Seto knew that his disheveled appearance was merely a product of the tale his hazy blue eyes told. The man was drunk off his ass. Like he always was whenever he partook in Seto's company.

Seto was startled out of his reverie as the other man's lips crashed onto his own. The motion lacked grace of any sort, just as the next one did when he was suddenly slammed into the wall a moment later. Seto yelped, pushing the man off as Brice's hand went for Seto's thigh. The other sorcerer stumbled back; confused and startled by the unexpected turn of events.

Seto huffed, turning around and closing the door. He surveyed the room; relieved when he didn't see any children peeking in. He turned back to Brice, his lips pursed and hands on his hips. The other sorcerer still looked extremely confused, but he seemed to think that Seto wanted to continue on with their previous activities, because he once again stumbled toward the smaller sorcerer.

Seto backed up, reflexively reaching out and slapping Brice hard across the face. The other man flinched back, his hand coming up slowly to rest on his cheek, as if he couldn't believe what had just transpired. Seto's heart ached at the hurt in Brice's eyes, but he hardened his resolve.

"No." Seto hissed, "Absolutely not."

"Seto…?" Brice slurred uncomprehendingly.

"We are _not_ doing this shit again, Brice. No." Seto gestured to the couch he had managed to afford with the pay he got from the shop, "You are going to go and sleep it off and we are going to talk in the morning and I swear to Notch; if you try to leave beforehand, I will find you, and I will hunt you down, and I will pin you to the ground and _make_ you listen."

Brice snickered drunkenly, "Seto, I never pegged you as a dominatrix…"

Seto reeled back, flushing bright red. His glare sharpened. He practically snarled as he grabbed the taller man by the nape of his neck and dragged him over to push him onto the couch. "Sleep."

Brice didn't seem to need much convincing seeing as how he passed out cold within minutes. Seto exhaled tiredly, staring sadly at the other man's prone form as he collapsed at the dining table. He couldn't believe that it had taken _seven children_ for him to come to his senses and tell Brice _no_ for once. He picked up his knitting again; casting an enchantment on the door just in case he fell asleep before Brice woke up. That dumbass wasn't getting out of this one.

* * *

 **December 12** **th** **, 1876**

Seto was awakened early that next morning by the sound of muttered cursing. Carefully, Seto opened his eyes so as not to alert the other man to his consciousness. Brice was frozen in place by the door, hissing profanities and counter-enchantments at the floor. Seto smirked. It seemed he hadn't lost his touch.

Seto stood quietly and cleared his throat. The other sorcerer's head whipped around; his eyes narrowing as they landed upon Seto. Angry, huh? Two could play that game. Seto crossed his arms, his glare in full force.

"Well now; this is the first time in five years that I've been able to speak to you when you weren't _drunk,"_ Seto said; his tone harsh and bitter, "How about you come sit over here with me so that we can _talk._ "

Brice scowled at him, "I would if you would kindly _unstick my feet from the ground._ "

Seto shrugged, " _Release_ ," he said simply.

Brice huffed angrily; well-aware he couldn't get out of this. He stomped over and sat down in the chair across from where Seto was sitting. Thank Notch for his inability to contract a hangover, at least.

"Mind telling me why you kept me here? You didn't even give me what I wanted last night, so why am I still here?" Brice asked.

"Nice to know how much you value our friendship," Seto snorted, his eyes smoldering with rage, "Believe it or not; and I know you're not used to this, _Brice_ , but I actually have other things to worry about nowadays besides _you._ "

Brice sighed, aggravated, "You've never said no before, Seto."

"Oh, wow," Seto began, rolling his eyes, "A person's feelings changing in a full _year_? How fucking strange. You know, I don't even know why you're here bothering me. I figured you had found a new fucktoy in the year you were gone."

Brice glared, "Why are you so angry?! You enjoyed it."

Seto slammed his fist on the table, standing up, "I have a right to be angry! How do you think _I_ feel? Getting used for _ten damn years_ by _you_ just so you could get some _damn_ pleasure! Oh, poor baby! I didn't let him fuck me last night! It must be _so_ difficult for you- being rich and having everyone at your beck and call all the time! Well I'm _done._ Don't expect me to let you do with me what you will anymore, because it's not happening!"

Brice's cobalt eyes widened, "What exactly brought about the sudden change?" He muttered, averting his eyes.

Seto sighed, leaning back, "I took on some responsibility. I'm not going to let you walk all over me anymore, Brice. I get more than enough of that here," Seto gestured towards the door, "I don't need anyone else demanding things of me. You know how much I care for you. You certainly take advantage of it enough. So I'm done. Find somebody else to fuck."

Brice sat in stunned silence, "I- I never…"

Seto crossed his arms, staring intensely at the floorboards as if they contained all of life's answers, "Yeah. You didn't."

Brice cleared his throat, standing up shakily, "I- I should go."

Seto didn't say anything; continuing to stare at the floor and absently wonder how the children hadn't been woken up.

Brice paused by the door; his hand hovering just over the handle. "For… For what it's worth, Seto- I'm sorry."

Seto nodded; he couldn't stay mad at Brice, despite all of the shit the other man had put him through, "You owe me one, Solace."

Brice swallowed hard, "Okay."

Brice left, and Seto knew he should have felt good about it, but he only felt empty inside.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hello! How have your days been? All twenty of you who read this story, anyways. Lots of glory in writing for the less popular YouTubers, obviously. School going well? Or is it at least tolerable, anyways? All of that aside, I'm here to (hopefully) better your day with the third chapter of Misorcery… yay! I really need to make another story for the Guardian Angels AU, but I somehow managed to procrastinate rather than writing by writing… Hooray for writing things three weeks in advance. Whatever the case, awkward small talk and author's notes nobody is going to read aside, I hope you all enjoy the chapter! Worked hard on it, as always! Love you guys!**

 **Chapter Three**

 **January 2nd, 1877**

Seto nearly fell over when he picked up the crate that held the new shipment for the shop. He should be used to it after two weeks, but he still kept picking up these large crates expecting them to be heavy, like they had been for nearly a year; only to stumble back when they were light as a feather. It wasn't just because the things inside were light, either. No, it was because the harvest had been bad. Very, very bad. The village had been fine for the past couple of months, but that was only because their _oh so brilliant_ mayor (whom Seto wasn't a fan of, and the feeling was mutual) had decided that the best course of action was to waste all of the food in the first few months of the year rather than rationing it thinly over the course of the year. Now they were running on empty and it was only January. Seto didn't even want to think about how many people would die because of Mayor Obenaur's bad choices.

Seto frowned as he thought of his own family. Christmas dinner had been a small affair due to Seto's catching on to how dire the situation would soon become. They had Kyle and Tyler over and everyone ate just enough to hold them over. It was an odd change to get used to after how well they had been doing for a while now, but it wouldn't be the first time Seto had gone hungry. He was just worried about his kids. Already you could see it as you walked down the street- the hungry faces, the cheeks that were just beginning to hollow. Parents pulling their children back when they tried to run off to play because they couldn't afford their children burning those calories- not anymore. It had only been two weeks and already things had gone completely to the nether. There just wasn't enough food.

Seto's expression soured as he stocked a measly five loaves of bread onto the shelf. Not enough food for normal people, anyways. Of course, the upper class had nothing to worry about- not most of them. Mr. Obenaur, the mayor, had been practically smothering the other village people in his privilege; roaming the streets whilst stuffing his face with whatever expensive delicacy he had gotten shipped to him personally. Laughing as thin, dirty faces gazed longingly from un-shuttered windows. He had no need to worry about a silly little _famine._ He had money. He had power. He had more bastard children than could be counted, but he'd be damned before he took care of any of them- or any of their mothers. Vincent was a man who took what he pleased from the moment he had been elected mayor.

Even some of the upper class was beginning to suffer; Kyle and Tyler were some of the first people to watch as their wealth did _nothing_. After all, what good did a few hunks of metal do when nobody had any food to sell? The nearest village was a ridiculous distance away. Mr. Obenaur was the only person in this village who could afford to get his hands on their neighbors' copious harvest.

Tyler, Kyle, and Seto had taken to pooling their food together; Kyle and Tyler would buy meat, cheese, and milk; and Seto would spend all he was paid on bread, flour, and salt. Kyle and Tyler were also generous enough to help Seto out with luxuries such as blankets and thicker clothes for the children; after all, it was the harsh winter and bitterly cold frost that had ruined their village harvest in the first place, and the last thing he needed right now was for one of the children to get sick. The three of them had also recently been discussing the possibility of Seto and the kids coming to stay in their much warmer, much larger, and more well-built house until the winter was through.

Seto was endlessly grateful for their generosity, of course, but he also knew that it could only work for so long. The point of the matter simply ended in the plain, simple fact that there _was no point._ The food was dwindling, and thus the money dwindled as well. Their only valid option at this point was for them all to pick up and move elsewhere, and even the kids knew that they didn't have the funds for such a project.

Which brought him back to the kids. He was endlessly worried- of course he was. They may have been doing well enough for now with Kyle and Tyler's help, but he knew that within just a few weeks they wouldn't be getting any more shipments from the farms on the outskirts of the village, and the food would run out. He had already seen multiple bread lines springing up around town, and despite the fact that those who were running them were good samaritans for sure; even they were bound to run out eventually.

So everything was looking pretty hopeless, all in all. Seto could easily just resort to stealing, or even leaving in the middle of the night- he could take care of himself just fine, but there was _no way_ he was going to leave Kyle and Tyler here, and he _certainly_ wouldn't leave the kids. There was also the option of asking Brice for help, but he had a feeling, a sense of foreboding, that was telling him he should save that favor for later. Besides, Brice was not a fan of mortals.

Seto walked the few steps up to the front of the shop, where Tyler was leaning on the small table they utilized as a counter twiddling his thumbs. No customers, yet, but it would be busy in just a moment once it got around that the cart had come in with the new stuff. The store would be emptied of product within ten minutes, and then the cycle would repeat tomorrow, and then for the next couple of weeks, until finally there was simply nothing else to sell, and the store would have no more product, and then the people would attempt to ravage the few other stores that hadn't already run out of food at that point. And finally, most likely, the store would be shut down within the next two weeks after that. It was a sad truth, but one that Kyle, Tyler, and Seto were aware of. Luckily, Kyle and Tyler still had a lot of money in their safe at home, and they had promised that Seto and his family wouldn't go hungry this winter. (Secretly, Seto doubted their ability to keep that promise.)

Tyler looked up as Seto approached. Kyle was somewhere in the cellar, most-likely despairing over their scarce supply of emergency stocks. Tyler's face was grim, which made him blend right in with everyone else in these parts of town.

Tyler shifted his gaze to the tightly-shut door to Seto's right, "It's not getting any better."

Seto pursed his lips, "No. It's not. And you and I both know that it won't anytime soon."

Tyler's eyes locked with Seto's own, and he was disheartened to see the look of hopeless acceptance in those gray eyes. The sickly pale gauntness of his face. Tyler sighed, shaking his head, "No."

A strong wind blew outside, and the old shop creaked and groaned. Seto and Tyler winced.

Tyler smiled bitterly, "Kyle and I have been placing our bets on what will happen first; the shop folding, or the wind leveling it to the ground."

Seto frowned, "Don't say things like that. It's bad enough that everyone is hungry; we don't need snowstorms destroying houses, too."

"It's going to happen," Kyle piped up, shivering as he shut the door behind him. He rubbed his hands together, "It's only January; we still have three more months of this- four if you count the rest of this month. If you thought December was bad, January is going to be much worse. You really need to hurry and decide if you're going to be staying with us, Seto; wait much longer, and that roof is going to come crashing down in the middle of the night and take all of you with it." Kyle met Seto's sharp glare with one of his own, "And don't look at me like that; you know it just as well as I do that that house of yours is a deathtrap in such a harsh winter."

Seto grit his teeth, putting his head in his hands, "I'm trying, okay? I know that we need to get out of that house- I don't need you to tell me that. I _live_ there. I see the way the roof sags more and more with every snowstorm. I feel the way the walls shudder when the wind picks up. But I can't just move into your house like that. You two have yourselves to take care of, too. This famine is going to be the worst this village has seen in the last seventy years, and you guys taking in eight more people is only going to ensure that all of us die together."

His right hand was suddenly pulled away from his face by a firm grip. Kyle was clutching Seto's slim, calloused hand in his own frigidly cold one. "Then I guess Tyler and I will be dying in the company of friends." Kyle's gaze was steady and unwavering.

Seto started as another hand was laid onto their tightly clasped ones. Tyler gave him a warm smile and tightened his grip, "Damn right. You aren't getting out of this one, Seto."

Seto's eyes burned, "Kyle… Tyler…"

Kyle smiled, "Don't get all weepy on us, Seto. Now come on, the horde will be here any second, and we're going to need your help."

Seto gave them a watery smile. "You're both assholes," He laughed wetly.

They only smiled.

* * *

 **January 8th, 1877**

Seto shivered, pulling his shawl tighter around himself as he hurried to his little house. As predicted, the shop was getting less and less stock every day. No bread today, and only a handful of assorted meat and cheese product. Salt was practically an extinct species at this point. Tyler and Kyle were preparing to close down the shop until a better harvest rolled around. They were even considering turning the space into a shelter for the people whose homes had been destroyed by the wind.

Seto himself had finally accepted their gracious offer of a larger home, and his little family had begun packing up. Seto was beginning to get uneasy, though. People were whispering. Saying things that he couldn't hear. And they had to have been targeted at him, seeing as how every time he walked even remotely close to one of the groups of gossipers, they immediately stopped spreading rumors and instead stared at him with something akin to fear in their eyes. It was more than enough to put him on edge.

Seto had almost reached his home when suddenly something slammed into his side. Seto cried out, clutching his abdomen as shocks of pain ran throughout his body. He scanned his surroundings cautiously, finally catching sight of a cranky middle-aged man whom he had done a few jobs for in the past.

"Witch!" The man snarled, hefting another rock, "You brought this upon us! You oughta be hanged!"

Seto's eyes widened, and he ducked, shielding his face as another rock came flying towards him. "Mr. Smith! Please, sir, you must be ill!"

Mr. Smith's lip curled in disgust. "I ain't ill, ya dirty occultist! What're you gonna do next, raise the dead and have 'em kill all of us?! Get outta here, before I kill ya m'self!"

Seto stumbled away, pulling his shawl tighter to himself as he shook with fear. _Witch._ Seto gasped, quickening his pace as he heard another stone slam into the pavement behind him. He changed directions; he should talk to Kyle and Tyler. He had a feeling his plans had just been changed.

* * *

Kyle stared at him with muted rage in his eyes. " _You're not going to come here?!_ "

Seto flinched, he looked to Tyler for help, but he was met with a cold gaze instead. He sighed, holding the cup of hot tea he had been given in a death grip as he thought of what to tell them. _'The truth.'_ His mind practically screamed at him to just come out with what he had been hiding from them for so many years. And it was _so_ tempting. How would he even begin to go about that, though? ' _Oh, yeah, by the way; tiny detail- never really came up in conversation; I'm a sorcerer. Oops.'_ Yeah, he was sure that would go over well. But… it made sense. That all those little conversations he overheard were about him being a "witch". Kind of an insult, to be honest, but that was a train of thought for another time. The point was, if people actually believed that enough, he would be hanged right in the middle of the town. And what would happen to the kids? It was inevitable that the townsfolk had found out about five of the children _months_ ago, but they still didn't know about Quentin and Jerome, and Seto wanted to keep it that way… And what if they targeted the kids instead? What then?

Seto sighed. The truth, then. It wasn't like he had any other options. "I have something important I need to tell you two. It's extremely serious. And I'm sorry I never told you before, but it was for the safety of myself and the kids, and I couldn't risk either of you two accidentally saying something in the presence of one of your other friends. There's a reason I won't be staying."

The harshness melted from both of his friends' faces at once, only to be replaced with floods of concern. "Seto…?" Tyler asked hesitantly, "Are you alright?"

Seto shook his head, "I won't be for much longer, it seems. I don't really know how to go about this, so I'm just going to come right out and say it. I'm a sorcerer."

Their faces filled with shock, before Kyle suddenly glared, "Seto, that's not funny. Don't say stuff like that, somebody might overhear and think you're serious."

Seto leveled a matching glare right back at the blond man, "Do I look like I'm joking?"

Tyler stared at Seto cautiously, "Prove it. I know Kyle; he won't believe you unless you prove it."

Seto sighed exasperatedly, "Why does everyone always want me to prove it? Why can't anyone ever just take my word for it? Fine. Whatever." Seto raised his hand and conjured a soft purple flame, like he had that night so long ago, when the woods had been drowning in liquid silver, and a little boy with auburn hair and bright red eyes had saved his life. _'It's like right out of a fairytale.'_ Seto smiled softly at the fond memory.

Kyle stared at him with a slack jaw. "You weren't kidding. You're a sorcerer. A _motherfucking_ sorcerer. I've been friends with a sorcerer for five years, and I didn't even know. And here I thought I was good at reading people."

Seto glared at him, "Calm yourself. It's not that big of a deal. The point is, I can't stay here. I was walking back to my house and an old customer of mine started shrieking his head off about my being a "witch". Very offensive, may I add, but I digress."

Tyler, always one to keep a level head in a bad situation, stared intensely at him, "How do we know we can trust you? You've kept this from us for five years."

Seto grit his teeth, "I'm sorry, okay? How can you expect me to be okay telling people about this after I had to stand by and watch as nearly everyone I knew and loved was slaughtered nearly forty-something years ago? That kind of leaves a lasting impression on a person- sorcerer or not. Do you have any idea what it was like? Suddenly being uprooted from everything I'd ever known and being forced to run- to change my very nature for the sake of secrecy so that I wouldn't be killed? It's shitty. It's awful, and at the end of it all, I only had one person left from my old life, and all I could do was try to hold onto him as tightly as I could, even as he tried all he could to push me away. That's what it was like. So please don't tell me that you're about to rat me out to the rest of the village. Go ahead and cut all ties if you need to, but don't tell the other folks. I'd rather not be burnt at the stake, and the kids still need a parent." Seto's eyes glossed over slightly with tears as he recounted the nether that the past forty-something years of his life had been. Telling Kyle and Tyler about this seemed like a mistake, now.

Kyle flailed his arms in the air a bit, "No, no, no! We're not going to rat you out, Seto! You're totally-"

"How _old_ are you?!" Tyler suddenly yelped, interrupting his partner as he suddenly seemed to register that particular part of Seto's tirade.

Seto groaned, irritated, "Of _course_ _that's_ what you got out of that whole thing. And that's very rude, but I'm sixty-four, if you must know."

His friends' jaws dropped for what had to be the hundredth time since this conversation had started. Kyle sputtered, "You're old enough to be my _grandfather_! Seto!"

Seto narrowed his eyes, "Fuck you guys, I'm young, thank you very much. I could still live to see over three hundred more years! That is, if there aren't any… um… _unforeseen circumstances_. Speaking of which, by the way, can we get back to the part where a guy almost publicly stoned me in the middle of the street earlier today? And how I need to skip town with the kids within the next few days before things get worse?"

Their expressions quickly sobered, and the mood in the room became even more somber, if that was even at all possible. Tyler massaged his temples slowly. "What exactly do you want us to do, Seto?" He asked helplessly, glancing up at his friend in time to see him look down and trace his fingertip along the rim of his mug unsurely.

"I- I don't know? I don't know, Tyler. I just- All that I know is that the kids and I need to _get out_. They're going to _lynch_ us. The town isn't safe anymore- it never was." Seto stared into the mug as if it held the answers to all of his life's questions.

Kyle stared intensely at the table top, his lower lip trembling so slightly that anybody who wasn't looking for it wouldn't be able to tell. "Well, it's not that difficult, then, is it?"

Seto knit his eyebrows in confusion, "What are you talking about, Kyle?"

Kyle straightened, gazing determinedly out the window, so as not to glance at his friend's face. He pursed his lips, "You need to leave. We'll help you leave. If you wait until tomorrow night, Tyler and I can drop off some stuff. Food. Clothes. Medicine. Everything we can get to hold you off until you find somewhere else."

Seto sighed, "Kyle, I can't ask that of you two-"

Kyle glared sharply at him, "You can, and you will, and even if you don't, you're still getting the stuff, so stop whining and let me enjoy what may be the last time I'll ever see my friend."

Seto's mouth snapped shut and he looked down sadly, "You're right… this might actually be the last time I see you two…"

Tyler whimpered, "Shut up, Seto. Shut up. _Please_."

Kyle simply glowered at the floor.

* * *

They sat around that table and talked for the next half hour. It felt more like they were mourning at a funeral than having a conversation between close friends.

Seto glanced out the window. The sun was setting. He had to get home and feed the children. Looking back to his friends, he saw the solemn expressions that graced their gaunt faces. They knew it was time he left.

Seto stood, his friends quickly following, "I- I need to go… The kids need dinner. And to rest. They won't have a lot of time to do that, soon." Tyler and Kyle stared at him with blank expressions, but Seto could see the way their eyes glistened with unshed tears, and he was sure that his own were the same.

Of course the people of this town would tear another precious thing from him. It was just him and the kids now. He would probably never see these two again after they left. He clenched his fists. Sighed. "I-"

Tyler rushed forward, engulfing him in a bone-crushing hug. Seto squeezed his eyes shut, wrapping his arms around the taller man quickly, holding on for dear life. As if Tyler and Kyle could save him and the kids from what needed to happen. As if _he_ could save them from what needed to happen. He didn't want to uproot the children again, not when the last time it happened was so scarring for them, but it was either run or be slaughtered like a bunch of cattle, so he really had no choice.

He felt another pair of arms engulf them both, and almost sobbed as Kyle joined the embrace. He wouldn't ever see these two again. Never. They had been with him for five years, and in the grand scheme of things it was such a small amount of time, but it _killed_ him to think of life without them; of losing _even more_ people because of his magical blood.

"You- You two need to take care of each other, you hear?" Seto whispered; his tone stern through his tears.

"Yes, mother," Kyle muttered.

Seto choked on a giggle, "I hate you… I'm going to miss you so much…!"

Tyler sniffled, pulling the other two men impossibly closer, "We're going to miss you too, Seto," He mumbled, voice muffled by Seto's clothes as he buried his head in the shorter man's shoulder. "You all had better come visit if you ever get the chance."

"We'll try," Seto murmured, "And you try not to burn the town to the ground while I'm away."

"No promises."

Slowly, Seto drew back from their embrace for what could be the final time. His eyes roved over their faces, taking in every freckle, every wrinkle, every imperfection. He tried his hardest to commit the color of their eyes to his memory. Tyler's silly glasses. Kyle's weird pink-blond hair. He teared up again.

"We'll leave tomorrow evening."

* * *

Seto was startled from his sleep by Adam violently shaking him awake. The nine year old was kneeling next to him, staring at him with wide, panic-stricken eyes. Seto's eyes snapped open, darting up into an upright position as he took in Adam's expression. Across the room, the other kids were stirring awake with varying degrees of fear written across their faces, and Seto could understand why.

Seto stiffened as he heard muffled shouts from outside. _Angry_ muffled shouts. Seto quickly stood, hurrying to grab the kids' coats and shoes. He tossed the garments in their general direction with a quiet command to put them on. Silently, he made his way into the kitchen, tossing what little food and money they had left into a knapsack. As he made his way back to into the bedroom, he slipped into his own heavy cloak and slid his daggers out from under the bed.

Seto handed the knapsack to Adam as he strapped his daggers to his waist, "Adam," He began sternly, "When I tell you to, I need you to take your brothers and run until you hit the tree line. Find a place to hide and wait for me. If I'm not there by morning, I want you to keep walking until you find a village with someone to take care of you all. Don't get separated. Stay together. Protect each other. I'll be with you as soon as I can."

Adam's lower lip trembled, "But what about you?"

Seto pursed his lips, "I'll be fine, I'm sure. I'm magic, remember?"

Adam sniffled at him, "Magic can't always protect people, you told me that yourself!" He cried.

Seto glanced nervously at the flimsy door that shook with every punch the people outside delivered to it. "I'll do my best, Adam, but you need to _listen to me_. Please trust me. Please."

Mitch whimpered, and Seto saw Adam crack. The boy nodded, "Okay."

Seto allowed a relieved smile to slip onto his face, "Thank Notch." The door shook violently. Seto froze. "Follow me, quickly! Does someone have Jerome?!"

Quentin nodded, showing the sorcerer the bacca cub that was clutching his hand. Seto smiled weakly, ensuring that Adam was carrying the knapsack before leading them to the back of the kitchen. Hurriedly, he pulled a large chest away from the wall and tore away a few boards from the wall that had been loosened by the violent winds. Once a good-sized hole had been broken in the wall, he pushed the children through, Adam leaving last and pulling the boards through with him at Seto's command. Immediately, Adam broke into a sprint through the thin layer of snow that covered the ground, the other children following him as he made for the tree line.

Seto sighed in relief, flinching when a loud _crack_ resonated through the small room as one of the door hinges broke. Time. He had to buy time, or they wouldn't make it.

He let out a shaky breath, standing and making his way towards the door, catching a few of the things that were being shouted as he neared:

" _Witch!_ " A man.

" _It's about time we got rid of you!_ " A woman.

" _Come out of your little hole, you murderous coward!_ " Another man.

" _The only way to flush a beast out of its den is with fire!_ "

Seto's eyes widened, and he yanked open the door, barely avoiding a fist that flew past his face. He quickly caught the man's arm and pushed him down the steps until he joined the rest of the crowd that surrounded his house. Slowly, he stepped out of his house, pulling the door until it looked like it was shut behind him.

Seto cleared his throat, "What is the meaning of this?"

A crowd that had to consist of at least eighty percent of the people in this Notch-forsaken town was surrounding his small home, carrying torches and various weapons. He could see Tyler and Kyle on the other side of the street, staring at the mob with wide, concerned eyes. Mayor Obenaur stood right on the frontlines, smiling at him dangerously. Of course.

"We've had enough of you taking our food away!" A woman screamed hysterically, "You need to _give it back!_ Make the snow stop, witch! What did we ever do to you?!"

Seto narrowed his eyes at the people, keeping his tone even as he replied, "I've done no such thing. Please remove yourselves from my property at once!"

Mr. Obenaur barked a harsh laugh, "Listen to it! It's trying to save its life by _lying_ to you! Listen to it, trying to command us to leave as if it owns us! Are you going to let this- this _thing_ do that to you?!"

Seto snarled, subconsciously taking a defensive stance, "You think _this man_ is on your side?!" He shouted angrily, "What has he ever done for you?! Did you elect him because you actually thought he was the best candidate, or because you feared him?! What has he done for _us_ , besides waste all of our food and show off his wealth whilst we all _starved_?! Do you really think that a _witch_ would just sit idly by and wait to go hungry?! No! Do I look _well-fed_ to you people?! We're all hungry!" And here he lifted a hand until he was pointing a trembling finger at the mayor, "Except for _him_. Look how overfed this _pig_ is! His overcoat buttons are practically bursting, and you're targeting _me_?! Who's the _real_ monster here?! I'm not even a witch!" Technically not a lie; "Maybe, while we're all here, we should get rid of the _real_ monster, instead of targeting an innocent man who has five children to look after! Then again, how many children do you think _this_ man has?! Five? Seven? _Fourteen_? Who knows! I wonder how well-fed _they_ are!"

The mob suddenly turned towards the mayor. He took a few nervous steps back, sputtering as he struggled to regain control, "My fine men and ladies! Are you really going to listen to something that this _creature_ told you? How do you know it isn't just using its magic to make you listen to it?! We don't know what this thing is capable of! Besides, it has lied to you again! It says it only has five children, but it has _seven_! And I'm sure that's not just because the thing's sister is a whore! Maybe he kidnapped them! Maybe they're witches, too! Where are those children of yours, _Seto_ \- if that even is your _real_ name?"

" _Yeah! Where are the kids?!"_

 _"They're probably hiding inside! They're probably preparing some kind of ritual to destroy us all!"_

 _"They're all witches! The whole family is made up of witches, and I took food from them!"_

 _"I let that_ thing _give me stitches! Oh Notch, I'm going to be possessed!"_

 _"Go inside and find the children! We can get in if we all go at once!_ "

Obenaur smirked, "Your move, _Seto_. Where are the children?"

Seto growled, "My move, huh? _My move, Mr. Obenaur?_ Alright; I'll make my move. And you will not lay a _finger_ on those kids. You won't have any left!" He forgot about the cold, he forgot about Tyler and Kyle- all he could think about was his need to protect his family.

Seto let loose a practically feral scream as he ignited white-hot balls of flame in his hands. Shrieks and various shouts rippled through the crowd of people, and they practically trampled each other as they scrambled to back up. "I-" Seto snarled, "have been dealing with you- you _monsters_ for five years! And five years in a different town before that, and twenty five in a different town before that! I'm _done_ being walked all over by humans! You have treated me like shit; you _all_ treat the entire lower class like shit! The lower class treats each other like shit! But now- now you have the- the _audacity_ to try to kill my _children_?! Who do you think you are?! I could kill all of you with my eyes closed! Back the _nether_ up and let me leave, and maybe I won't have to kill you!" He wouldn't _actually_ kill them, of course; he would never- that wasn't to say that it wasn't tempting, though.

The mob backed up a bit, all except for the mayor. Seto raised an eyebrow.

"What are you," Mr. Obenaur screeched, "Cowards?! Too scared to take on just one monster when there are so many of us?! Notch is frowning upon you right now, I'm sure!"

His words seemed to instill confidence in the people, for they surged forward all at once toward the sorcerer. He launched the fire at the ground with a yell, turning around and sprinting into the house as an illusion of purple fire filled the mob with terror. Their screams for water to throw on a fire that didn't actually exist rang loudly in his ears as he ran towards the hole he had made in the back of the house, slipping through and pulling the chest back into place behind him so as to keep the mob from realizing his whereabouts for as long as possible.

Seto sprinted for the tree line, praying to Notch with everything he had for him to make it unseen. It seemed that his prayers were answered, too, because soon enough he had hit the forest, and now it was just a matter of finding the children.

Seto closed his eyes, concentrating on Adam's life-force- a little trick that he had picked up during the war. He released the tension in his body, muscles relaxing as he murmured an incantation under his breath.

The next thing he knew, he was dropping to the ground, crumpling to his hands and knees as an incredible amount of energy was sapped from him. He heard alarmed cries to his right, and looked over, taking in the shocked faces of his kids. All seven of them. Good.

Seto smiled weakly, "Thank you for doing as I asked, Adam; you did a very good job."

Adam swallowed hard, "Are you okay, Seto?" He questioned hesitantly.

Seto laughed softly, "I'm alright. Just tired, is all. That's a really hard spell to do without some kind of power source, like an ender pearl."

Ian stared in wonder, somehow still unused to the things Seto could do, "What did you do?"

Seto sat up slowly, allowing the children to gather around him in the snow. "Well," Seto began, "I love all of you _so much_ that my magical signature has synced up with your life forces, so I was able to teleport to you guys instead of looking for you for ages."

Mitch leaned up to whisper in Adam's ear, "I'm confused."

Adam nodded, "Me too."

Seto giggled uncontrollably at the quiet exchange, "That's okay, you two; you will someday. Promise. Now come on, we need to find somewhere to stay before we freeze to death."

Jerome rumbled worriedly, his fuzzy face scrunching up in confusion, "Turn into ice cubes?"

Seto bit his lip to keep himself from laughing at the cub, "Yeah. We need to find somewhere to stay before we turn into ice cubes, Jerome. Let's go."

And he had just been forced to leave behind his home and two of the best friends that he had ever made, but he still had his kids, and, to him, that was all that mattered.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hello! It's that time again! School makes me want to kick puppies. Or something else sweet and innocent. Because with all that bad shit, obviously innocence doesn't exist. Fuck. On the bright side, when I watch Seto and Dan and Phil and all my other YouTubers, I feel better. So that's a plus, at least. And by the time that this chapter is released, The Amazing Book Is Not On Fire will be out. And I'll probably be crying from how domestic it's sure to be. But that's Phan, and you guys came here to read a Seto-centric child TC fic ft. Brice being an emotionally-constipated dick, so that's what I'm going to give you. So, despite my current bad mood, I shall now write that. Enjoy!**

 **A/N Edit: I apologize for the wait, guys! I've had some stuff going on in my family recently, and I wasn't able to work on the chapter for a period of time, so unfortunately it was late this past week, as I'm sure you've noticed. Point is, it's here now, so I hope you enjoy it!**

 **Chapter Four**

 **January 10th, 1877**

Seto grumbled in annoyance as he waited. He was leaning against a tree trunk, his arms crossed, his watchful eyes trained on the kids, who had curled up and fallen asleep near the fire he had built. It was snowing lightly, but the fire was bright and warm, and it had melted all of the snow within three yards of it, so the children had plenty of room to sleep without lying in the snow.

They hadn't found anywhere to stay, but that was alright. He had another idea in mind anyway. Of course, he had known he would need some help with what he had in mind, so, with no other choice, he had been forced to contact Brice via a mind link that they had created years ago.

Seto glared at nothing, sighing. That had been hours ago, and now the sun was beginning to rise on the horizon. He didn't know why he had expected the blond to come right away, but he had. Just another thing to add to the "Times Brice Has Disappointed Seto" list, he supposed. He yawned, his tired eyes once again focusing on his kids. He had stayed up all night waiting for the idiot, but punctuality had never been the other sorcerer's strong suit. He certainly hoped that he was never in a life-or-death situation, because by the time that Brice arrived, he would probably be dead.

Seto's bitter thoughts were interrupted by a bright golden flash that flared up to his right and effectively blinded him. He scowled blindly in that direction, and, sure enough, when his vision cleared there was Tall, Blond, and Beautiful in all his glory.

Brice gave Seto a charming smile, taking one of the sorcerer's hands and kissing the knuckles. "My dear."

Seto rolled his eyes, snatching his hand away from the blond, "And he's sober! Mark it on your calendars, ladies and gentlemen!"

Brice groaned, "You're _still_ angry about that? Come on, Seto! That was such a long time ago!"

Seto glared up at the other sorcerer, "That was a month ago, Solace. But, oddly enough, I actually didn't bring you here to yell at you. How sad."

Brice crossed his arms, releasing a falsely labored-sounding sigh, "Always straight to business with you, Seto. Now, had this been the bedroom, I would be perfectly fine with that, but-"

" _Brice_."

"Fine, fine. Why'd you summon me, sweetheart?" The blond winked at him, azure eyes glittering like fine sapphires.

Seto huffed, "I need your help."

Brice raised an eyebrow, chuckling softly, and Seto groaned internally at what was to come, " _Really?_ The _great_ Seto Lúthwen needs _my_ help? The most promising sorcerer of the century needs the help of a lowly commoner? Oh Notch! The balance of the worlds has been offset! The Aether is going to fall out of the sky! Save us!"

Seto rubbed his eyes tiredly, "Are you quite finished?"

"Oh, I don't know," Brice shot Seto a shit-eating grin, "That depends on what such a powerful sorcerer wants with little old me, doesn't it?"

"Brice," Seto hissed, "Stop being a dick. It was hard enough for me to put aside my pride and summon you in the first place. You owe me. This is the least you could do for messing with me all those years."

Brice sighed, "I remember you being more fun back in the day, Gem."

"Yeah?" Seto muttered, stiffening at the old nickname, "Well that was before everyone died. Now stop stalling."

"Whatever," Brice grumbled, "I'm going to assume that this has something to do with that burnt out shell that you used to call a house a few miles east? Humans. I haven't the faintest as to why you're so fond of them. All they do is destroy things they don't understand." The blond's face screwed up in disgust, disdain dripping from his words.

"Brice," Seto chided, "Not all humans are bad. You know that."

Brice narrowed his eyes, "Do I?"

"There were dissentients to what happened all those years ago and you know it. Not everyone was out to kill us." Seto said. "The point is, we need a new place to stay."

"' _We_ '? Seto, I know you're completely head-over-heels for my ravishing good looks and charming personality, but you know I don't want to settle down." Brice almost sounded sincere and Seto definitely wanted to punch him.

Seto growled, "Least of all with me," he stated bitterly, "I'm aware. And I wasn't talking about you, asshole," He gestured toward the group of children sleeping around the fire, "I was talking about them."

Brice took in the group and narrowed his eyes, " _Children_? You have kids? Since when?! And," his glare sharpened, "They're _human_ children. Five of them are at least. I can feel it. I cannot believe you are raising five _human_ children. What the fuck, Seto?"

Seto's hackles raised at the criticism, "Excuse me? Are you sure that you want to continue to insult my family right to my face? I don't care what you tell the whores you hang out with behind my back, Brice, but if I were you, I would shut my mouth right now. I don't need your approval. And, once upon a time, our job was to _protect_ humans, Brice. Or maybe you've forgotten? These are _my_ kids, and if you're not going to help me- if you're going to go back on what you said- then leave. I'll figure something else out."

Brice snorted angrily, "Yeah, we protected them once; we all saw how that turned out. Big thanks we got."

"They are _children_ , Brice!"

"They are _monsters_!"

"Are you going to help me or not?! Walk away if you're so unwilling! They are the sweetest children you will ever meet, and I swear, if you even begin to insult them again, I will _end_ you."

Brice's eyes blazed with cold fury, glowing faintly in the dim, growing light of dawn. The kids would be awake soon, and Seto just wanted an answer so that he could get Brice out of here before they woke if he refused to help.

Brice exhaled slowly through his nose, the ice in his eyes slowly thawing, "Fine. I'll help you if you just answer me one question: Why? Why would you take in seven children when you could barely afford to keep yourself alive? Was it just because of some- some sense of duty? Did you feel like you had to _because_ we used to protect humans, or some other reason?"

Seto sighed, sliding down the tree until he sat on the ground. The snow soaked his clothes, but he could honestly care less. "You should know the answer to that, Brice. Don't you remember back in the academy? Training together? When they finally determined what we were? Where we fit in the chain of command?" He was breathing heavily, painful memories making heat build up behind his eyes, "'It's a shame he's sterile!'" Seto recited monotonously, the words burned into his memory after he had heard them so many times- even after so many years, they still stung, "'He would've made a fine bride! The things I could've done with someone like that! So much power!'" He smiled bitterly, "You know I've always wanted that, Brice. You know how badly I wanted children when I was younger. After everything happened, kids were the last thing on my mind for such a long time; it was just a fight to stay alive for so many years. And then I went out hunting and who do I see? A small child, no more than seven with six brothers who are all slowly starving to death in the middle of nowhere. I was weak, Brice. I should've given them up at the first chance to do so, but I couldn't. They were too sweet and I was already in too deep, and I'm _sorry_ that I care too much- about you, about them, about humans; I'm sorry. I can't help it."

Brice just looked drained, "I- I forgot about that… I forgot that you were barren, Seto… It's just… so unimportant, you know? To someone like me, that is. I know that it's important to you, and it was important to all of those other assholes back then, but it just- never seemed to matter that much? It was just another thing that made you who you were. It shouldn't have mattered… You were- _are_ \- so good at what you do, Seto; I wish everyone had been able to see that back then… Fine. I'll help you. What do you need?"

Brice almost looked ashamed, and Seto felt like he had just guilt-tripped him into helping, even if what he had said was all true. Seto's heart swelled with affection, and he fought to squash it down. He did not need that in his life again. He was done with Brice. He wasn't letting it happen again. They weren't destined for each other. Brice would probably meet some gorgeous sorcerer or sorcereress one day and they would make little blond babes with bright blue eyes. It wasn't ever going to happen for him, even if Brice did love him. Right now, he had to focus on his family. There were more important things for him to worry about than his love life. Seto sighed softly, standing.

"I need two things, actually. Firstly, I would appreciate it if you could help me build a new place for me and the kids- I don't have the time or the money to do it myself. And secondly, I haven't had a contact within the magical world in _years_. It's unnerving. The higher-ups probably think that I'm dead, to be honest; I've been off the radar for so long. If you could start to bring me the information you gather when you move around, that would be wonderful." Seto explained, hoping that Brice wouldn't back out. He may have played it off earlier as if he could do this stuff himself, but he knew he couldn't. Not when he refused to use his magic dishonestly- a qualm which Brice did not carry. The blond had been known to use his abilities to steal, manipulate, and summon whatever his heart desired. "And I want to do this the right way, Brice, so no using your powers."

The blond groaned loudly, and Seto hurriedly shushed him, "But Seto-"

"No. You are not stealing materials. That's not the kind of example I want to set for my kids." Seto said sternly.

" _Your_ kids?"

"Yes." Seto glared at the taller sorcerer, silently daring him to make a comment.

Brice sighed, raising his hands defensively, "I'm not saying anything. And I'll help you. With both things. I suppose I should let you know that we're starting to regain some semblance of order. Sorcerers, I mean. There's a few institutes being set up again, but they're certainly not being used to teach young sorcerers how to protect humans anymore; it's more like battle training, now. They aren't even training medics- it's going to bite them in the ass later. I think something is brewing on the horizon, Seto, and it won't be good."

Seto cursed under his breath, "Great. Just what I need. I _hope_ they think I'm dead. I don't want to be dragged into their bullshit again."

"Seto…?"

Seto jumped, startled by the soft, hesitant voice behind him. Brice's eyes widened dramatically.

Seto turned, smiling tenderly at the child who stood behind him. Wide, brown doe-eyes stared at him from beneath long lashes. The boy had his arms wrapped around his torso, and he shivered in the crisp winter air. The rest of the children were asleep.

"Mitchell," Seto murmured softly, picking up the five-year-old and holding him close to his own warm body. Brice looked on, shifting from foot to foot.

Mitch peered at the tall blond from behind his small fingers, his tiny hand partially covering the eye that he hadn't buried into Seto's shoulder.

"Mitchell," Seto chided gently, "Why don't you tell the… nice… man who you are?"

"Hi," Mitch mumbled shyly, "My name's Mitch…"

Seto glared at Brice over Mitch's head when he didn't reply right away, and the blond started, "Uh, I'm Brice. It's a- um- it's a pleasure, Mitch. Your daddy has told me a lot about you…"

Seto was almost afraid that the little brunet would correct the other sorcerer, but he didn't; instead, Mitch perked up, "Really?" He prodded curiously, "Seto never told me who you were…"

"We're… very old friends, Mitchell," Seto explained. Brice snorted, and Seto sent him a dangerous glare that promised excruciating pain if he even _thought_ about clarifying further.

Mitch leaned up to Seto's ear, whispering- loudly- "Is he really old, too, Seto?"

Seto's eyes widened, and he burst into a sudden fit of hysterical laughter.

Brice flushed bright red, "Did that kid just call me old? I am _young_!"

Seto nodded solemnly, "Yes, Mitchell," He stated, eyes glittering with mirth, "He's _really_ old."

"Seto!"

Seto began to laugh again, and he hadn't laughed like this in such a long time and it felt so nice to laugh like this again; as if the world wasn't resting on his shoulders.

Brice sputtered indignantly, "You told them about you?"

Seto shrugged, adjusting Mitch on his hip, "Of course. They live with me, Brice; they're my kids. Kind of a hard secret to keep."

Brice sighed, throwing a hand over his eyes, "I should've known. You're a complete pushover."

Seto rolled his eyes, smiling down at the tiny brunet in his arms, "Brice is magic too, Mitchell."

The little boy's eyes widened to the size of saucers, " _Really_?"

" _What are you doing_?!" Brice hissed, growing even more miffed when both Seto and the child completely ignored him.

"Yeah," Seto smiled radiantly, "Show him, Brice."

" _What_?! You expect me to-" Brice began angrily.

"I _said_ show him, Brice," Seto smiled disarmingly at the blond, and Brice knew that although his expression spoke of friendly openness, the sharpness in his eyes told a different story. That combined with the child's large, begging eyes drew a long-suffering sigh from the blond. He brought up his hand, contemplating what spell to use.

"Just light up, Brice." Seto commanded softly, "That's the first thing I showed them."

Brice groaned, "That's so boring, though…" Snapping his fingers, Brice lit a bright fire in the palm of his hand. It glowed a brilliant gold, plunging the surrounding area into gilded lightness.

Seto shifted Mitch into one arm, balancing the child on his hip as he held out his own hand and ignited his own light- the color of his own soul and source of magic. Purple. A soft, soothing orchid. The flames reached hungrily toward each other, as if compelled by some invisible wind. Seto smiled bitterly. He supposed that their colors really did represent them perfectly. Purple and gold. Alone, they were beautiful- regal, even; the colors spoke of royalty, and were once used to decorate the garments of human emperors and empresses. Together, though, they mixed and created brown, ugly and lifeless. The color of mud- of grime and dirtiness and a billion other things that nobody liked. Two colors that weren't meant to mix, lest they make a mess. And yet, they still reached toward each other, as if to say, ' _It's okay; we can be beautiful, just you wait and see.'_

Seto wished that he could.

Seto exhaled sadly as he closed his palm, effectively snuffing out the pretty flame. The golden fire in Brice's hand stood upright again, before being extinguished as Brice closed his own hand. The blond was staring at him carefully, and Seto knew that he had also noticed the way that the two forces had tried so desperately to combine. Seto also knew that Brice would ignore that fact with everything he had.

Seto was snapped out of his painful reverie by the sound of bright laughter from the child in his arms. He shook his head to clear it, smiling down at the tiny human child. "That was pretty interesting, wasn't it, Mitchell?"

"They were pretty! Again!" The little boy cried, clapping his hands together delightedly.

Brice looked at him pleadingly and Seto sighed, "Maybe some other time, Mitchell; I think Brice is tired. He's going to help us with some things in the morning, though, okay? So how about we let him rest?"

The boy looked down contemplatively for a moment before nodding with a wise look upon his youthful face, "Yes, I believe we _should_ do that."

Seto laughed, setting the small brunet back down upon the ground. "I'm glad I have your approval, Mitchell. Now run on over there and try to go back to sleep, okay? It's too early for you to be awake just yet, and it's really cold, anyways; we won't be able to do anything fun today."

The child pouted up at him for a moment before brightening suddenly, "Can you make the fire purple, Seto?"

Seto bit his lip, "How about this: you go back to sleep, and I'll make the fire purple, deal?"

Mitch clasped his hands together excitedly, "Yay! Deal!" And with that, the little boy grabbed Seto's hand, pulling him down and planting a wet kiss on his cheek. "Nighty-night, Seto! Nighty-night, Mr. Brice!"

Seto stared, stunned, as the little boy skipped over and plopped back down next to Jerome, curling into the furry bacca cub. He reached up, touching his cheek and smiling tenderly at the group of children. Absentmindedly, he snapped his fingers, the fire turning a soft shade of lavender and casting its purple glow over the kids.

Seto heard a soft gagging noise from beside him and turned to see Brice practically shoving his fingers down his throat. Seto rolled his eyes.

"Subtle, Jackass," Seto muttered, crossing his arms over his chest, though he knew that he was still blushing from Mitch's affection.

Brice ignored him, "Notch, you're like mush."

"Sorry for showing affection toward those I care about; I know that you don't know much about that kind of thing." Seto said snidely.

Brice narrowed his eyes at him, "Are we really going to start this again?"

Seto shrugged, "Not if you don't engage."

Brice sighed heavily, "Do you have somewhere I can sleep? I've been up all night."

Seto nodded, walking over to the fire that the kids were gathered around and spreading a spare blanket onto an unoccupied spot of grass. Brice slowly joined him by the fire, easing himself down onto the blanket and lying across the soft fabric. The blond closed his eyes, shivering minutely, and Seto rolled his eyes.

"Idiot," he murmured, his tone tinged with an old, sad fondness. He grabbed another blanket, unfolding it and spreading it carefully over the other sorcerer.

Brice's eyes snapped open, and he opened his mouth, as if to protest.

"Shut up and go to sleep, stupid; it's going to be too bright to fall asleep soon."

* * *

 **January 18th, 1879**

Seto stood over the sink, scrubbing hard at the dishes that lay in the water-filled basin. Okay, so maybe letting the twelve-year-old attempt to cook breakfast hadn't been his brightest idea. Adam had tried though, and that was what mattered- and the toast had been edible, at least, so it was alright.

While he washed, Seto kept a watchful eye trained on the children playing in the backyard through the window above the sink. Sky and Ty were throwing a ball back and forth, running around the snow-covered yard in some sort of convoluted game that Seto couldn't understand for the life of him, Quentin, Ian, and Jason were throwing snowballs at each other, all bundled up in scarves and cloaks and jackets, Quentin especially. And Jerome and Mitch…

The door slammed loudly against the wall in the sitting room, and cold air poured into the kitchen through the doorway.

Ah, there they were.

Mitch and Jerome bounded into the kitchen, Mitch carrying a large bucket of water and somehow managing not to spill it. Jerome bounded around on all fours, spreading slush and mud all over the floors. Seto groaned. He had just cleaned those, too. Seto walked over, careful not to slip on the now-slick floor. Gently, he took the bucket from Mitch's cold hands and dumped the water into the pot on the furnace. He set the bucket onto the floor to be washed, and turned back to the children. He raised his eyebrow at the mess on the floor, and Mitch had the decency to look sheepish.

"Sorry, Seto! Jerome is excited because of the snow, is all." Mitch explained awkwardly.

Seto cracked a smile, reassuring Mitch that he wasn't angry at him or Jerome, "It's alright, Mitchell. Did you two have any trouble with the well?"

Mitch smiled up at him, "The crank is starting to freeze again, but we got the water!"

Seto laughed, "Good. Thank you, you two. You can go back out and play now."

Mitch and Jerome cheered, racing out of the kitchen and toward the door.

"Don't run!" Seto called after them, exasperated, "You're going to slip! _Boys_!"

All that Seto received in answer were high-pitched giggles and the sound of quick footfalls. As the boys ran out the door, Seto heard two energetic cries of, "Hi, Mr. Brice!" before they returned to the backyard.

Seto smiled tiredly as he heard soft footsteps approach the kitchen and pause in the doorway, "Good morning, Brice."

True to his word, the blond had visited at least once a month for the past two years, bearing various bits and pieces of information that he had heard in his travels. It felt nice, being able to talk to Brice again while he was completely sober and clear-headed.

He turned around, drying his hands on a tea towel and taking in the sight of the other sorcerer. Brice was all bundled up in black and gold; a long overcoat and cloak protected him from the icy cold, and his lips were a light blue that went along well with his bright eyes. His messy golden hair was flattened down and damp from the light snowfall outside.

The blond raised an eyebrow at the messy floor, and Seto shrugged, setting the towel back down on the counter and removing the apron he had been cleaning in, "They never wipe their feet when they come in. One day they'll learn some manners, I swear."

Brice nodded, and, removing his cloak, finally spoke, "Good morning, Seto."

Seto smiled at the taller sorcerer and took the blond's cloak and coat when they were offered to him. He grabbed the mop while he was in the closet, and made his way back out to the kitchen, where Brice had seated himself at the table. His expression was solemn. Seto's smile faded; he leaned the mop against the wall and gingerly made his way over to the table, sitting down across from the other man.

Seto's thoughts darkened as Brice didn't speak for a few minutes, tense silence brewing steadily in the room.

"Brice…?" Seto prompted hesitantly.

The blond's eye cleared abruptly at the interruption and he sighed, scrubbing his hands over his tan face. Seto grew more worried.

"Brice, what's going on?"

Brice sighed, "Listen, Seto; there's no easy way for me to say this. I know that you've got a good thing going on here- that you're all settled and you have a family and shit… The point is, there's trouble going on in… _our_ … world, and the higher-ups have drafted you to help out... They told me to come get you, Seto; they're making you and I go to war."

Seto froze, "But… they aren't allowed to draft those who can carry; that has always been a rule."

Brice wouldn't meet Seto's eyes, "They said that you didn't count."

Seto narrowed his eyes, "I- I ' _don't count_ '?"

Brice sighed, "I'm sorry, Seto. I tried to change their minds, but they wouldn't hear it. They were dicks about it, too."

Seto snarled, "I'm going to rip their dicks _off_."

Brice looked mildly terrified, "Don't be hasty, Seto; they'll kill you if you even try. Think about the lives you'll be saving. They need our help."

"I don't give a _damn_! The only sorcerers left besides us after what happened are the ones that tripped others so that they could run! The whole lot of them are _fiends_! I have a family! I don't care if I didn't birth them myself, they are _mine_ , and I refuse to abandon them like my parents did me!" Seto hissed venomously.

"I- I could try to tell them that you're with child…?" Brice asked tentatively.

"No," Seto muttered, slumping into his chair as all the fight drained out of him, "That wouldn't work. They're assholes, but they're not idiots. All the spells in the world couldn't make something like that possible. Don't get yourself into trouble for me. I just- I want to know how they even knew I was still _alive_. Last I checked, they had no idea who had survived the attack."

Brice sighed, "I don't know; I didn't tell them. Either they've kept an eye on you, or they just assumed that since I was still alive, you probably were too. The point is, it's impossible to deny them at this point. They definitely know that you're alive now. They wouldn't care if I told them you have a family now; unless the children are sorcerers, they couldn't care less. We're trapped, here, Seto."

"I _know_ that, Brice." Seto whispered, tears pricking at his eyes as he put his face into his hands. "Oh, Notch; what am I going to tell the children? Where will they _go_?!"

Brice shifted, "I've made some arrangements, if you're willing to accept them; I have two friends in a village about thirty miles west of here. They're a destined pair. Neither of them have been drafted because one is able to carry and the other is just a mage, and you know the higher-ups' attitudes toward _them_. I talked to them and they said that they would be willing to take the kids in until we're all done… they have enough money to take care of them, and the village is friendly toward non-human species… So… If you're willing, I've set that up."

Seto gaped at the other man, "I- thank you, Brice… That's very kind of you. Could you tell me their names? How old are they?"

Brice gave him an awkward smile, "Ryan and James; they're twenty and thirty-seven respectively."

Seto looked down at his hands, "I don't really have a choice, do I? What time do the higher-assholes want me by?"

Brice sighed, "Tomorrow. And yeah, I know that it sucks. They didn't tell _me_ until today either."

Seto was silent for a while, staring contemplatively at the ground, "How will I tell the children…?"

Brice looked uncomfortable, "I really am sorry, Seto. Hopefully this'll blow over quickly, and you can get back to your family."

Seto shrugged, wrapping his arms around himself, "It's not your fault…"

Sighing helplessly, Seto stood, mopping the floor quickly in an effort to keep himself busy and distract from the inevitable. It didn't work. He set the mop down after he was done, standing perfectly still for a moment with his fingers still grazing the handle. He tried desperately to think of another task that he needed to do, but came up blank. He groaned softly as he made his way over to the window. The kids were still playing happily in the yard, unburdened by cares. Seto already felt bad for ruining it.

Seto pushed the window open, calling out to the children from the warmth of the house, "Kids! Come on inside! I- I need to talk to you guys!"

Seto saw the children exchange glances before dropping their various playthings and rushing around the house to the front door. Seto heard the door slam open and closed, and Sky's voice scolding the other children as they attempted to sprint through the house with their muddy shoes on. He smiled weakly.

Seto pushed himself off the wash-basin, turning around and making his way into the sitting room. The children had gathered onto the couch and floor, leaving empty space for Seto. Seto heard soft footsteps as Brice came behind him, nudging him toward his family. Seto glanced over his shoulder, locking eyes with Brice and exhaling slowly.

Seto walked deliberately toward the couch, collapsing onto the soft surface with a tired groan. His kids stared at him with concern in their eyes. Brice stood just behind the couch, placing a reassuring hand on Seto's shoulder.

"Alright," Seto began, leaning forward and letting his elbows rest on his knees, "This is really hard to say, but, essentially, there's a big war brewing and a lot of sorcerers are going to get very hurt if I don't go help them. Some big boss sorcerers have demanded that I go help, and if I don't they'll make me go to jail forever… I'm sorry, guys, but I need to leave for a little while, and you can't come with me."

The kids looked slightly crushed as they processed the information. Seto glanced away, unable to look at their faces. He let out a soft ' _oof_ ' as a small weight suddenly collided with his front. He looked down and his heart broke a little.

Ian stared up at him with big, watery, blue eyes. He was sniffling, and he scrambled onto Seto's lap as soon as he was given the opportunity, burying his head into the sorcerer's chest. Seto stared down at the eight-year-old with wide eyes, slowly wrapping his arms around him.

" _No_!" Ian whimpered softly, "Don't go!"

"Ian…?" Seto murmured curiously, "Honey, what's wrong?"

"Don't go!" The child wailed, "The last time my parents left, they never came back! Don't leave! I don't want you to go!"

Screw breaking a little; Seto's heart was in pieces, "Oh, Ian, sweetheart; I'll come back. I promise; I'm going to come back. Everything will be alright. I will never leave you guys."

"You can't promise!" Ian sobbed, "You don't know!"

Seto sighed, clutching the child closer to himself, burying his face in his son's hair, "You're right, Ian; I can't. But, if something happens, I swear I will nag Notch so much that he will send me right back down here with you guys. Even Notch himself couldn't keep me from taking care of you. You're _my_ kids. I will _never_ _ever_ abandon you. I swear with everything I am: I _will_ come back to you."

Ian sniffled, "Are you sure?" He whispered shakily.

Seto nodded, squeezing the boy briefly, "Positive. You're not getting rid of me anytime soon."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hello! Chapter Five! Oh my lord; I can't believe we've made it this far already! We're almost halfway through the story! So this chapter is more of a filler that's going to set up some stuff for later, but I hope you enjoy nonetheless! (Sorry for the lateness; the internet is shit at my house. A thousand curses upon NTelos!)**

 **Chapter Five**

 **June 20th, 1879**

Seto stood quietly on the outskirts of town, staring uneasily at the warm cottage in the distance. The war was over. It had been short, but immensely painful. Many had died. Many had killed. Seto rubbed at his left arm, where he knew a new, long scar now resided. He winced at the phantom pain. Brice stood next to him, uncharacteristically silent, his eyes shining with something haunting that Seto hated, but that he knew lay within his own eyes as well. The battles had been too bloody- too gruesome. Lives were lost that shouldn't have been, and Seto could practically hear the cries of pain and screams of defensive and offensive spells every time he closed his eyes.

It reminded him of the battles that had taken place years ago.

He knew Brice was reminded of the same things. Seto hadn't seen him so shaken up since then. But, in all things, he was still Brice, so he masked it all with false bravado and arrogance instead of ever opening up to anybody to the point where Seto wondered if he really did know him as well as he used to, and thought he still did, anymore.

Seto glanced at the blond, catching him giving him the tail-end of a look. Brice looked away as he was caught, shoving his hands behind his back.

"Well?" Brice muttered impatiently, "Aren't you going to go see them? You've been whining about how much you miss them for the past five months; aren't you excited?"

Seto looked away uncomfortably, shifting uneasily, "What if-" he began, his voice small, even to his own ears, "What if they didn't miss me? What if they forgot about me? What if they like it better here with Ryan and James? What if-"

Brice groaned, "You _can't_ be serious, Lúthwen. Are you really pulling this insecurity shit _now_?"

" _What_?" Seto hissed, glaring at the taller man, "Those are valid fears!"

" _No_ , Seto," Brice sighed, rubbing at his eyes, "they're _not_. Those kids lived with you for how many years?"

"I mean, three, but-"

"But _nothing_ , Seto," Brice interrupted harshly, "They haven't forgotten you in five months. Not even the little ones. Now I promised that I would make sure that you got back to your family, and I intend to fulfill that promise. Now hurry up; I have things I'd like to do now that we're not being forced to fight another war for the higher-ups while they sit on their asses and don't do anything. I'd like to get back to _my_ life too, thank you very much."

Seto stared at Brice critically, before sighing, "Sometimes I can't tell if you're being an asshole or not."

Brice shrugged, scuffing his combat boot in the dirt, "You should be used to that by now, Doll."

Seto huffed, "No, but I'm certainly used to _that_."

"Just means I'm doing my job."

"Please," Seto crossed his arms, "You never get off your lazy ass."

Brice glared at him, "I take offense. Now go see your kids or whatever, Princess."

Seto looked at the cottage again, something apprehensive and sickening still sticking in his gut like a stone, but he sighed resignedly anyways, starting to walk toward the house, unsurprised when Brice didn't follow him.

Seto's long, intricately-designed robes swished softly around him, billowing out behind him as he walked. He remembered complaining to himself a few years ago about how he wasn't able to wear them anymore, but now he just wanted them off of him. Now they just made him think about death. The only time he could wear his robes nowadays was for war and the creation of future nightmares. Go figure.

Slowly, Seto made it to the door. He lifted a trembling hand, hesitating a moment before knocking softly on the thick wooden door. He heard slow footsteps approaching the door from the other side, before it was suddenly pulled open with a soft _click_ and _whoosh_.

A brunet a couple of inches taller than Seto himself stood before him. Seto could instantly tell that this was the sorcerer of the house. Ryan, Brice had said his name was.

Ryan had brown hair a few degrees darker than Seto's own, and soft brown eyes. He had a bright smile, and he was wearing soft blue robes that were smattered with darker shades of the elegant color, and the bits of skin that Seto could see were very pale. Seto smiled hesitantly at him as the brunet's eyes slowly scanned carefully up and down his body.

Seto knew he looked a mess. He was sure there were a few faded bloodstains on his black and purple combat robes, and they were torn in a variety of places, as well as smeared with ash in some. Finally, Ryan met his eyes again, smiling sympathetically.

"Hello," the brunet began, his voice lightly accented, though Seto didn't recognize where from, "You look like you've been through the Nether; no offense."

Seto gave him a smile devoid of humor, "More like a war."

The sorcerer's eyes widened, "A war? Then… you must be Seto. I'm sorry I did not recognizing you initially. Brice didn't really give too many details as to your appearance. Well, that's not true. He did tell us you were short."

Seto sighed, annoyed, "Oh he did, did he?"

Ryan looked mildly embarrassed, blushing slightly, "Oh, uh, yeah. Sorry. Probably shouldn't have said that out loud. But… you are Seto, aren't you?"

Seto nodded, "It's fine, it's fine. And, um, yes. I am Seto. It's nice to meet you finally, Ryan."

Ryan smiled brightly at him, "It's such a pleasure to meet you, Seto. We were wondering why you didn't come with Brice to drop them off, but I suppose that preparing to go to war probably takes a while. Your boys are just the sweetest things. It's been quite an experience watching over them," here, the other sorcerer laughed happily, and Seto's heart ached slightly for happier times past, "I'm not really sure whether it made me want to have kids _more_ or _less_."

Seto laughed, despite the pain in his chest, "Those were my thoughts exactly when I first met them… But, um, I'm sorry if this is rude, but… Could I see them now? Please? I miss them so greatly, and…"

Ryan held up a hand to stop him, smiling softly, "No, no; I understand. Um, but if you don't mind me saying, you may want to change first. We have some clothes you can wear. I'm sure they won't be your preferred color, unless yours is either blue or yellow, though judging by your robes it's not, but it is something. It's just that I'm sure you don't want your kids to see you so roughed up. They're, uh… They're in one of the bedrooms with my husband, James, right now. He's reading them a story. So, uh, you have some time… If you want. I know you want to see them as fast as possible, but…"

"No," Seto interrupted, not wanting Ryan to feel awkward, "You're right. Could you allow me to change here?"

Ryan's bright smile returned, "Of course! Just follow me, and I'll get you some clothes, too!"

Seto obediently followed the brunet as he led him through his home. It was small, but cozy, and it made Seto yearn for his own home. Seto heard muffled voices from a door at the end of a hall, but Ryan took him down a different hall, and into a room that seemed to belong to Ryan and James.

Ryan walked over to a dresser pushed against the wall, opening the second drawer down. He stepped back gesturing to the drawer, which was filled with clothes that were a range of shades of blue, black, and gray. "Again, I know they're probably not the color you prefer, but these are mine. They're certainly going to be closer to your size than James' clothes. Besides, blue is closer to purple than yellow is. You can just pick something out. Don't worry; they're not worn very often; only when I need to go to a village that has something against other species. I'll wait outside, and when you're changed, I'll take you to the kids."

Ryan quickly exited the room, leaving Seto to his own thoughts. He was almost tempted to reach into the upper drawer and grab a yellow shirt, even though it wasn't exactly gold. He wouldn't indulge himself, though. He wasn't a schoolgirl with a crush. He did smile a little bitterly, though. He supposed this was a good example of a bond that was actually meant to be. Blue and yellow created green, the color of life and luck.

Seto sighed as he shook himself out of his negative thoughts, hurriedly reaching into the drawer and grabbing a dark blue shirt and black trousers. He disrobed quickly, pulling on the new clothes, unexpectedly soft against his skin. Carefully, he bent down and picked his trashed robes up off the floor, folding them reverently and cradling them to his chest like a babe. Seto caught sight of himself in a mirror in the corner, his breath catching. It wasn't the dark circles under his eyes, nor the sickly paleness of his skin, nor even the haunted look in his eyes. It was just the clothes.

It had been a very long time since he had seen himself in anything other than clothes with some shade of purple on them. Even his combat robes, the ones he held in his hands, despite being mostly black for stealth purposes, had many dark purple accents. It was the magic world's way of identifying their kind. Most sorcerers had their very own color that represented their soul- whether it be one that was completely odd and different, or just a shade of a more common color- it was theirs. Though some sorcerers belonging to the same family could end up with the same exact color, it was uncommon. Shades of one color tended to run through families, but beyond that, the association was practically nonexistent. Everyone was an individual. Sorcerers were catalogued that way. A name, a picture, and their magic color, and then it was tradition to always try to wear a color close to your own. Usually more shades of the overarching color that yours related to. It used to be a good way of identifying criminals; those who didn't wear their color were thought of as having something to hide. It wasn't too hard to identify someone who committed a crime when any tampering they did would sparkle with their designated color. It was just a matter of finding the people it could be and figuring out who had done it.

Sorcerers had learned fairly quickly that criminal activity wasn't really a successful profession for them to pursue.

Seto's own color had been identified as lavender, or color code e5ccff. It was a convoluted system. Seto didn't know much about his family, but a few teachers in the academy had told him that shades of green had run in his family for a long, long time. They insisted that it just made him special, but Seto got the feeling that it hadn't exactly given his parents incentive to think about what they were doing before they abandoned him. He tried not to think about it too much.

The point was, Seto hadn't seen himself in something other than some shade of purple since he was in his twenties, in the academy. They made them wear black and white then; black for non-carriers, and white for carriers. They tried to avoid making the students wear colors, as it wasn't uncommon for people to be ridiculed if their color didn't match the rest of their family's. They thought that trying to take the colors out of things would discourage such behavior, though Seto was pretty sure putting them in black and white based on their status really only made it worse. The supervisors had insisted that black and white were the colors of balance and serenity, but for the most part, at least in Seto's class, it had only lead to non-carriers knowing exactly who the carriers were and giving them ammo to make constant streams of lewd comments toward them… Seto wasn't a particular fan of most other sorcerers. At least not those who had been a part of his generation. That didn't mean he had wished for them to die, though, like they had.

Seto shook his head as he finally came back to himself. He wasn't sure how long he had been trapped in his own head, but he figured he should probably hurry. Ryan was probably confused as to what happened to him.

Seto opened the door, smiling weakly at Ryan when he saw the other brunet leaning against the wall. Ryan gave him a worried look.

"Are you alright?" Ryan asked gently, "You were in there a while."

"Oh," Seto said uneasily, glancing away, "I'm fine. I just… got a little lost in my head. Zoned out a bit, you know? I'm fine. Can I see my kids now?"

Ryan stared at him for a long moment, before sighing and turning away, a weak smile plastered to his own face, "Of course. Come on, they're down here."

Ryan lead him back down the hallway that Seto had heard the noise coming from earlier, motioning for him to wait there as they finally stood outside the door. Seto felt like he was about to jump out of his skin with how anxious he was, but he managed to stand still as Ryan slowly opened up the wooden door and peeked inside.

"Someone's here to see you boys," Ryan said, and Seto could see his gentle smile from where he stood, leaning against the doorframe, invisible to his kids.

"Really?"

Seto heard Ty's timid voice ask from somewhere within the bedroom, and he nearly disobeyed Ryan's request and sprinted inside to make sure that his babies were alright, but he restrained himself.

Seto held his breath as he heard hesitant, padding footsteps make their way to the door. Seto went breathless as he saw a single, bright ruby eye peek around the doorframe. Ty seemed to have a similar experience.

" _Seto_!" He cried, running and slamming into Seto's legs, "You're _back_!"

Seto felt tears well up in his eyes as he crouched down and held Ty close, "Oh my Notch, my baby… Ty, sweetheart, you've gotten so big since the last time I saw you! Oh, your hair grew so much, too!"

The moment was suddenly interrupted, but Seto couldn't bring himself to be even a little bit upset. He sobbed softly as six more faces suddenly appeared in the doorway, squeals of joy and relief being cried out as he was suddenly surrounded by the rest of his kids as well. Adam, Quentin, Ian, Mitch, Jerome, Jason, Ty. They were all here, and they were all okay and happy and _safe_.

Seto finally let out the sigh that he swore he had been holding in since he had left five months ago, an unbearable weight lifting off of his chest at last. He hugged his kids close to himself, basking in the long-missed warmth in his chest. He noticed that Ryan had gone into the room with James to give them their privacy, and made a mental note to thank him later.

"Oh my _lord_ ," Seto breathed, "You're all so much _bigger_! Stop growing! Whatever will I do when you get taller than me? I missed you all so much. Look at you guys."

"But Seto," Jason piped up confusedly from the right of him, "We can't get taller than you! You're an adult!"

Seto laughed wetly, squeezing his boys, "I know I am, baby, but you will be too, one day. But let's not think about that right now. I need to tickle each and every one of you to make up for all of that lost time!" Seto teasingly let a hand creep toward the nearest child, Adam's, side, and, despite being twelve, the oldest child decided to humor him, and let out a startled shout, twisting away from Seto and running away, the rest of the kids following him, giggling hysterically.

Seto slowly stood, wiping tears from his eyes and rubbing at his lower back. He looked back down when he felt a tug at the bottom of his- Ryan's- shirt.

Ian stood at his feet, staring up at him with large, watery blue eyes, "You won't leave again, right?" The child asked shakily, his bottom lip trembling, "You'll stay with us now, right, Seto?"

Seto gave the child a weak smile, crouching again and pulling him into his arms, hugging him tightly, "Oh, Ian," he began soothingly, "I'm _never_ leaving you again. If they try to make me come fight again, I'll tell them to go kiss a donkey's behind."

The child giggled, smiling brightly up at him, "So we get to go back home now?"

Seto nodded, "Of course, honey," he murmured softly, brushing Ian's hair from his eyes, his hand lingering by the child's ear, before dropping to rest on his shoulder, "Did Mr. Ryan and Mr. James treat all of you well?"

Ian nodded eagerly, "They were very nice!" He smiled, before looking down and staring at his toes, an embarrassed flush coating his face, "I don't think they were as nice as you, though… I missed you…"

Seto melted, "Oh, sweetie," he sighed, "I missed you, too. I'm so happy to be back. All of the people where I was were _meanies_."

Ian's eyes widened, " _We're_ not meanies, though!" He hurried to reassure Seto.

Seto laughed, "I know you're not. Why do you think I wanted to come back so badly?" He smiled gently at the boy, "Now why don't you go play with your brothers? I have to speak with James and Ryan about some adult things."

Ian saluted him seriously, turning and marching down the hall.

Seto sighed, standing again and leaning against the wall. He may not have been at his house, but he was home.

Thank Notch, Indeed.

* * *

The boys had gone outside to play, so James and Ryan had invited him to take a seat and have a cup of coffee. He had accepted, of course; he needed it. The bonded couple had immediately sat down on a loveseat next to the chair he sat upon, and they had all settled in for a chat.

James was attractive; Seto had to give him that. Ryan had good taste. He had dark brown hair and darker brown eyes. He was tan in such a way that made Seto think that he probably wasn't from around here, and he was a decent amount taller than Ryan, so Seto was sure that he would be at least a foot taller than him. Ah, the joys of being short.

James was dressed in standard Mage's robes. They weren't unlike the robes of a sorcerer, though they were a bit more sheer- gauzy. That was mostly due to the fact that in the old days, sorcerers had most of their bases in the north, where the thick fabric was appropriate, whereas mages tended to stick to the south. Seto got the idea that the separation hadn't fueled many friendly relations between the races. That and the higher ups' irrational hatred of mages. James' robes were a beautiful yellow shade that went well with the color of his eyes and hair. Seto could see the black of his no-doubt skin-tight undershirt and pants under the thin robes. Finally, James had an amulet around his neck. It was silver, with what looked to be a citrine gemstone in the middle of it. Seto could feel the strong power signature of it from where he was sitting.

James had a possessive arm wrapped around Ryan's shoulders, though the other sorcerer certainly didn't seem to mind. Seto fought back bittersweet memories at the sight, trying his hardest to stay focused on the conversation at hand.

"So, Seto," Ryan began, smiling gently at him, "As I was saying; it's nice to finally meet you. Brice has talked about you quite a bit."

Seto's eyebrows rose in bewilderment, "He has?"

James laughed from his spot next to his mate, "Well obviously; what kind of bondmate doesn't talk about their other constantly? I swear; we're all so annoying."

Seto coughed awkwardly into his fist, looking down uncomfortably, "Forgive me, but I'm afraid that you're mistaken," He looked up at the couple, smiling weakly, "Brice and I aren't bonded."

Ryan and James' eyes widened, though it was Ryan who rushed to speak, "Oh, we're so sorry! We had been under the impression that… Oh, you probably think awfully of us!"

Seto chuckled sadly, "Of course not. I can hardly blame you. I can't imagine what it must have seemed like; Brice coming himself to drop the kids off and arranging this whole thing and everything. You're both quite alright."

James smiled at him, relieved, "We really are very sorry, Seto. I know that it's not uncommon in your and Ryan's culture to become offended at such an untrue implication; I hope we have not offended you. However young I was when it all went to the Nether, I do remember that much."

Seto laughed again, this time with a bit more life, "I'm not offended at all. I was never one to get offended by such silly, meaningless things. I'm flattered that you believe Brice and myself close enough to be bondmates, but I'm afraid that we aren't. That was more a problem of my fellow sorcerers; getting offended at little things, I mean."

Ryan smiled, "Well thank Notch for that; I was never a fan of the more uppity sorcerers- though I can understand their distancing themselves, considering what happened… I wasn't even born yet, myself, but I hear more than enough stories… I'm truly sorry for what you all must have gone through."

Seto tittered, "Not a fan of the more uppity sorcerers? What are you doing talking to Brice, then?" He paused as James and Ryan laughed, "And you have no need to apologize; it was hardly your fault. It was… difficult, yes, but there's no helping it now. I like to believe that everything happens for a reason; I'm not sure that I would still be sane otherwise, considering." He laughed, now, "And I suppose I was right in some fashion; I have my family now, don't I? I may never have found them so long ago had such events not happened."

Ryan grinned, "Cheers. That's a good outlook to have, friend."

James smiled softly at him, "Speaking of the kids; I may need to steal them all. Sweetest little things I ever have met. I love kids."

Ryan laughed, elbowing his husband, "Yeah, yeah; hint, hint; I know. I'm twenty, James, not fifty. You and I are not _nearly_ old enough to have our own batch of mage-sorcerer hybrid babies running around wreaking havoc upon the poor innocent townspeople."

Seto giggled, "Sorry; those ones are mine. And my lord; these poor people do not need to be plagued with more children if they're even more rambunctious than mine. Just imagine, though; a mage-sorcerer hybrid," here he rolled his eyes, "those paranoid higher-ups would blow a gasket. They're not fans of creatures more powerful than them. You'd probably just have sorcerer babies, though, unfortunately; mages' talents with magical artifacts being a recessive trait and all."

"Really?" James asked curiously, "How do you figure that?"

"Oh, uh," Seto blushed, looking down, "Back when I was young and in the academy- before everything happened, and even for quite a few years afterward- I was rather adept in the study of magical medicine and science. I was deemed 'exceptionally skillful' in combat as well, of course, but my interest was in science and helping people… It's not something that will ever happen now, though, I think. Even when they brought me in for this past war, it wasn't to serve as a medic. They just wanted more soldiers."

Ryan smiled apologetically at him, "Yeah, they're dicks. I never got to get so personal with them, but my parents told me a lot of stories when I was little. Is it still the same bunch?"

Seto nodded, idly twiddling his thumbs, "Mostly. A few died in the attacks, but for the most part they focused on saving themselves… I don't know how much your parents or your mate told you," he nodded at James, "Or really how much even _he_ remembers, but there wasn't really any attempt to establish some semblance of order or leadership when the humans flipped… If anything, the higher-ups created more confusion so they could get out while others were killed… Frankly, I can't fathom why in the world our people are still following them so loyally. Maybe just out of old respect, or perhaps fear."

James shrugged, "Maybe. Things weren't much better on our side of things, from what I remember. Our leaders weren't deliberately causing shit, though; they tried to help, but there was so much confusion anyways that just as many people died. But let's not talk about that anymore. It's really fucking depressing."

Seto laughed, "Alright, alright. Back on topic, got it. The boys were good for you, then?"

Ryan nodded eagerly, "Definitely. They were a little wild, but that's to be expected, I suppose. There _are_ seven of them, after all. I have no idea how you've handled them all alone for such a long time."

"It's certainly been quite a ride," Seto admitted, "I'm just happy to be back again, though. No war or bloodshed or assholes throwing their weight around despite the fact that your status is higher than theirs. Just me and my kids again. I missed it." He shifted, crossing his ankles, "Speaking of which… I was planning on going home with them soon. Tomorrow, if I'm able. I appreciate everything you two have done for me and my family so much, but I desperately wish to see my home again."

James grinned, "We understand, trust me. If you're willing, we'd be happy to house you all tonight, and you can leave in the morning. It's getting dark, after all; I think we all know what kind of nasty creatures lurk around at night."

Seto smiled softly at him, "I'd be honored."

* * *

 **December 23rd, 1882**

Seto looked up from his book at the sound of footsteps coming down the hallway toward the sitting room. Seto was still getting used to the new house layout, but it was cozy, and he was especially fond of the fireplace in this new space.

Seto and his family had packed up about a month ago and moved out to the village to be closer to "Uncle Ryan and Uncle James", and so far it had been very nice. They had gotten a new house right across the street from the bonded couple, and despite the fact that it was a little more modest than their old one, it was a very pretty little place.

Seto carefully folded the top corner of the page he was on, making sure to keep the edges even with the rest of the page, and set his book aside, looking up and smiling just in time to catch sight of Adam.

His boy had grown a lot in the past few years. He had grown out his chocolate brown hair and started tying it up with a golden band to keep it out of his face. He had gotten taller as well, and at age fifteen he was already taller than Seto by about two inches, and Seto knew he would only grow more. He had started to train in combat as well, courtesy of a joint effort between Seto and James, so his arms had begun to bulk up with lithe muscle from handling a sword.

Adam slowly made his way over to where Seto was sitting, and Seto's face scrunched up a bit in confusion when he saw that Adam was hiding something behind his back.

Once Adam had reached Seto, he carefully knelt down in front of his chair, shoving whatever he had been holding in his back pocket and reaching out to take Seto's hands in his own. Seto's eyebrows knit with worry.

"Adam…?"

Adam smiled weakly up at him, exhaling softly and running his thumb over the back of Seto's hands.

"Adam, honey, you're scaring me. Is something the matter?" Seto stammered, panicked.

"Seto… Ma…" Adam began, and Seto instantly knew something was wrong, because despite the fact that he was their caretaker, his kids hardly ever actually referred to him as a parental figure, besides Jerome and Mitch, that is, who didn't know anything different. They only did that when they really wanted something, or when something was very wrong.

"Adam, _what's wrong_?"

"I need to ask for your blessing to do something, Ma. I don't think you'll like it." Adam said carefully, staring up at him with guarded eyes.

"Dear, you know I'll support you in every-"

"I want to join the war effort," Adam interrupted, wincing when Seto suddenly went deathly silent.

"Adam Sky…" Seto began, eyes narrowing.

"No, Ma, I'm sorry, but listen. Please." Adam pleaded. He quickly released one of Seto's hands and reached around to his back pocket, drawing a crumpled poster out of his back pocket, smoothing it on the floor and holding it up for Seto to see:

 **'I Want** _ **You**_ **for Humanity's Army! Nearest Recruiting Station Next Right.'**

Seto pursed his lips. He had heard about the war- everyone had. It had been the buzz everywhere for the past three months. Humans had finally struck against mobs in a mass retaliation for the buildup of centuries' worth of crimes, and the monsters hadn't been particularly pleased with the gesture, attacking back swiftly and throwing all of humanity into all-out warfare.

Now, Seto didn't have a problem with who the humans had chosen to attack; mobs had black, evil souls; their only purpose in life was to cause harm and misery unto others. No, he was fine with their cause. But he _refused_ to allow any of his children to see the horror of war; he refused to allow them to watch the moment when the light left the eyes of their fallen comrades- to watch as blood soaked the ground. And that was if they even survived. No. No child of his would go through that.

"Yes," Seto hissed, glaring at the paper, "It's a recruiting poster for that awful war. What about it?"

"Ma," Adam begged desperately, "I can go start training now that I'm fifteen; after I turn sixteen, I can go to war. That's soon. I want to go fight the mobs. I want to go fight for humanity. Please allow me to do that."

"Absolutely _not_ , Adam." Seto snapped, "You will _not_ go off to war. I forbid you to."

Adam pursed his lips, "Don't you understand, Seto?" He huffed, "I _need_ to fight for my people. That's what you did three years ago! You went and fought for your people! Now it's my turn!"

Seto stood, stomping away from his child's crouched form and glaring daggers out the window, "That's not what happened and you know it, Adam. You will not go fight in some war and that's final."

Adam darted up, clenching his fists by his sides, "I'm going whether you like it or not, Seto! I wanted your blessing before I left for good luck, but if you won't give it, I guess I'll just have to rely on my own skill instead!"

Seto whipped around, gaping at the teenager, " _Adam_ …!"

"This is _my_ life!" Adam shouted.

"Then don't make stupid snap decisions just because you saw some _damn_ propaganda hanging on the side of a building! This _is_ your life! Don't _ruin_ it!" Seto snarled, stalking toward the teenager.

"I'm not!" Adam yelled frantically, "I've wanted this since the war started! I want to defend my family! You and my brothers and James and Ryan and Brice and all of my friends!"

"There are plenty of other good, strong men and women who can do that job, Adam!" Seto hissed, "You don't _need_ to!"

"I _want_ to!"

Seto's expression crumbled, tears filling his eyes as everything seemed to come crashing down around him all at once. Adam lurched forward, catching him and guiding him to the ground as he collapsed, sobbing hard into his boy's shoulder, clutching desperately to his loose shirt.

"Ma…?"

"H-How can you expect me to just stand by and let this happen?!" Seto cried, "You're my baby, Adam; I don't care _how_ old you are now. You are asking me to allow you to go to _war_ , Adam. This isn't a _game_. This isn't like training with James and I; this is your _life_. You could _die._ How can you expect me to be perfectly fine with that?!"

Adam squeezed his eyes shut, letting out a shaky breath and slowly pulling away from Seto's tight embrace, pulling Seto's hands away from his shirt collar, "Ma… I-I'm sorry, but I _need_ to do this. You don't _understand_. I want to keep you safe…"

"' _I don't understand_ '…?" Seto choked, letting out a somewhat hysterical laugh through his tears, "That's all I've _ever_ wanted since I found you boys, Adam. To keep you safe. How in all of Notch's three realms is sending you off to war keeping you _safe_?"

Adam looked down, trying to avoid Seto's teary, broken gaze. He could count on one hand how many times he had seen Seto cry in all of the seven years that the sorcerer had been taking care of them, and to see him so shaken-up was… upsetting, "I know, Ma, I'm so sorry… Please. Please let me do this. Please give me your blessing. I won't be okay over there without it. I just want you to be with me in this. Please."

Seto let out a strangled whimper, " _Why_? Why are you making me do this? If it's to get back at me for grounding you last month, then I'm sorry. _Please_. Please don't go get yourself killed. I couldn't bear it, knowing that you had seen the things I've seen. _Don't do this to yourself, Adam_."

Adam sniffled, "I'm _begging_ you, Ma. Why are you making this so hard?"

Seto let out a weak laugh that tapered off into a sob at the end, "I could ask you the same thing, Adam… I-I don't know what to do… You're asking me to condemn you to what will be some of the worst moments of your life with a clear conscience… How can you ask me to do that, Adam?"

"I'm going whether you send me off yourself or not, Ma… I'm not asking you to send me off; I'm asking you to make me feel better about going," Adam whispered pleadingly, hugging Seto close again.

Seto huffed, "You always were too self-sacrificing… Pushing Ty behind you that night as if I would- as if I _could_ ever hurt any of you…"

Adam nodded against Seto's shoulder, "Yeah…" He mumbled, "Do you understand why I have to do this, Ma?"

Seto sighed, "Of course I do… That doesn't mean I have to like it, though. That doesn't mean I won't hate every part of this with every single fibre of my being."

Slowly, Seto stood on shaky legs, scrubbing at the tears on his cheeks. He held out a hand for Adam, hefting him up when the teenager grabbed onto it.

Seto reached up, smoothing the wrinkles in Adam's shirt, sighing as he finished the idle task.

"Well… Let's go start packing. Training starts next week."

* * *

 **December 31st, 1882**

Adam left that next Sunday.

Seto and the rest of the family, along with James and Ryan, were all settled in the sitting room as they waited for the wagon to come pick Adam up. His luggage sat by the door.

Seto sighed deeply as he wearily stood up, motioning for Adam to come to him. The teenager approached nervously, as if it wasn't already too late for Seto to demand that he stay.

Seto reached up, resting his hands on Adam's shoulders. He squeezed his eyes shut tight. He could feel James' and Ryan's and all of the boys' eyes burning into his back. The room was solemnly silent.

Slowly, carefully, Seto allowed his hands to travel until he was grasping the old amulet hanging around Adam's neck. To this day, he didn't know how Adam had gotten ahold of it in the first place, but it didn't matter. For now, Seto merely allowed himself to be thankful for its presence.

"James," Seto muttered, "Come help me with this; I'm not good with these things."

James frowned, "Seto-" He began warningly, catching on to what his friend was about to try to pull.

"I don't care, James," Seto interrupted, turning to glare at him out of the corner of his eye, "He's not going if I don't do this first. Just come help me so that I don't kill myself by accident."

James sighed, heaving himself up and walking toward the two, Ryan staring confusedly at them from where he had been left alone on the couch.

"Seto…" Adam frowned, trying to back away from Seto's grasp, stilling when the sorcerer narrowed his eyes dangerously at him.

"You be quiet too. Let me do this or you're not going to _any_ war." Seto muttered, his voice low.

Adam swallowed hard.

James came up next to them, laying his hands over Seto's on the amulet, closing his eyes as he channeled into the artifact's power signature. He knit his eyebrows.

"Seto…" He began hesitantly, "This thing is practically _starved_ for a magical being to feed off of. Its owner has been dead for a _long_ time. This could kill you if you're not careful…"

Seto rolled his eyes, "Why do you think you're here? If you could make me not die, I'd really appreciate it."

James sighed, but didn't protest any longer, instead tightening his grip on the amulet and breathing slowly through his nose and concentrating hard on preventing disaster. He was a mage. They were experts at handling magic items. This would be easy.

Seto closed his eyes, beginning to softly murmur a spell under his breath, gasping as he felt his power suddenly leaving him at a rapid rate.

James' eyes snapped open as he felt Seto's power flow through his whole being before being stored inside the amulet. Just a little bit more, and… That was enough. He had to stop the transmission.

Seto stumbled back as his concentration was suddenly broken, the soul-sucking sensation stopping all at once and making him gasp for air as purple sparks popped in the air around him, the residual magic unsure where to go for a moment before flowing back toward its source- Seto.

Seto felt Ryan behind him, the sorcerer finally having caught on to what spell Seto had been planning. The other sorcerer's arms were wrapped securely around his abdomen, and Seto was slowly eased down onto the nearby couch, panting and shaking minutely from the strain of simply standing.

James exhaled heavily as he finally pulled his hands away from the amulet, the dull amethyst that was in the center now glowing radiantly for what had to be the first time in at least a century. He carefully shook the magical discharge out of his fingers to prevent any incidents that may come later, the purple sparks popping and fizzling out as they floating down, vanishing just before they hit the floor.

Adam blinked, dumbfounded, as he looked down at the glowing amulet around his neck. His breath suddenly caught as he remembered that something was wrong with Seto because of him, and he stumbled over and fell to his knees in front of the couch, latching onto one of Seto's hands in a déjà vu-inducing gesture of worry.

"Seto!" He gasped, "Are you alright?! What did you do?!"

Seto smiled weakly, leaning forward slightly, Ryan still worriedly steadying him so that he wouldn't fall off the couch. He tightened his grip on Adam's hand. "I'm alright, Adam," he whispered, "Just tired. I just performed a little spell is all…"

Adam knit his eyebrows, "What spell?"

Seto smiled gently at him, brushing a loose strand of hair out of Adam's face and tucking it behind his ear, "It doesn't matter. Listen to me." He leaned forward a little more, tapping the amulet, which seemed to glow a little brighter at his touch, "This amulet now has a piece of my soul inside of it. It will save your life, but only once. Nothing can kill you but Notch himself as long as you have this on. I wish I could make it a thousand uses, but that kind of magic is impossible. This magic has a one-time use, Adam; I need you to understand that, so don't go throwing yourself into dangerous situations just because you can. I want you to work and train and fight just as hard as the others; I want you to be just as cautious as the others, too. The amulet will only activate if the threat will truly kill you as well, so it won't prevent you from getting shot unless the shot would prove fatal. I hope to Notch that this power will never be used, but I will sleep easier at night knowing you have it. Do you understand?"

Adam bit his lip, "Yes, of course, but… Are you going to be okay? You look sick…"

Seto smiled, "I'll be fine. I just need to rest for a couple days; let my magic fix itself up. Don't worry about me. You need to worry about yourself now, Adam. Don't let me distract you from what's important."

Adam frowned, "But-"

He was interrupted by a call from outside the house; it was time that he left.

Seto stood unsteadily, shakily reaching up and laying his palms on either side of Adam's face. He stood on tiptoe, placing a kiss on the teenager's forehead.

"You have my blessing. Now go kick some mob ass."

Adam's eyes shone with tears, but he nodded seriously, giving Seto a warm hug, as well as James and Ryan and all of his brothers, before hurrying to the door to grab his bags. He opened the door, glancing back one last time when he heard Seto call out to him.

"Oh, and Adam?"

"Yeah?"

"If you die, you'll break my heart. You understand that, right?"

"Yes, Ma."

"Don't you dare break my heart, Adam Sky. Don't you dare."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: We are halfway there. We are** _ **halfway**_ **done with this story! I'm hyperventilating, you don't understand. This is my baby; every chapter is like I'm a step closer to sending it away to university. My baby is essentially nine right now and in nine more years it will be eighteen and saying goodbye to go attend some high-end school with honors. And then it will get married and have ficlets. (Yeah, that's a hint. There will be ficlets after this is all done.) I'm just… It hurts, guys. It hurts yet it feels so satisfying, like…? I've raised it well, I feel like. I hope you all agree. Did I raise it well? Minimal grammar mistakes, I feel. Anyway, that's enough emotional rambling from me. I do actually have some somewhat important things to say on this A/N. Also, On My Way Home by Pentatonix gave me major feels whilst I was writing this.**

 **TL;DR: This chapter will seem a little scattered because it's compressing a lot of shit into one chapter. Essentially, we only have this chapter and one more before we're done with… Act One? Yeah. Act One. Part One. Whichever. After this chapter, things are going to get sad and then things are going to get exciting. So, yeah. This chapter will be a little all over the place, but I hope you all enjoy nonetheless! Enjoy!**

 **Chapter Six**

 **February 3rd, 1885**

Seto cradled his chin in his palms, elbows on the hardwood floor and legs swinging in the air as he sprawled out on the floor with Jerome. Ty and Jason had generously agreed to take everyone off Seto's hands for a few hours, bringing them all to the pastry store down the lane and buying them some pumpkin pie with their saved up pocket money. Jerome had come down with a small cold as of yesterday which prevented his going, but Ty had promised to bring him and Seto back a couple of slices, so the bacca hadn't been too upset.

Currently, Seto and Jerome were sitting- lying, in Seto's case- on the floor together, the bacca making a sketch of a longbow, his fuzzy paws curled around a thin pencil and his flat tongue sticking out of his mouth slightly. Seto was there to supervise and help out when needed, but he was mostly just enjoying the peace. Raising seven- no, six- boys was exhausting, despite how much he loved them all, and he was pretty sure he was in a state of perpetual headache, but that was alright.

"Mom?" Jerome piped up, looking down at him from where he was sitting up, his sketchbook balanced carefully on his raised knees.

Seto propped himself up on his forearm, peering over Jerome's shoulder at the drawing. It was very good, though that wasn't particularly unusual; Jerome had always had a talent for these things.

Seto pointed at a spot on the picture, tracing an edge, "Smooth that out a little. Shade this spot here."

Jerome stared at the drawing contemplatively for a moment before following Seto's instructions, letting loose a rough, rumbling purr when he was satisfied by the result. "Thank you."

Seto smiled, "You're welcome." He lowered himself back onto the floor, allowing all of the tense muscles in his back to relax.

They sat in comfortable silence for a little while before it was shattered by a loud sneezing fit from Jerome, the bacca pushing his sketchbook to the side to avoid accidentally getting spit or snot or some other gross bodily fluid on the drawing.

" _Bless you_ ," Seto murmured when he had finally finished, "Cover your mouth."

Jerome rolled his eyes, swiping a furry paw across his face, " _Thank you_." He muttered, apparently choosing to ignore the second comment.

Seto laughed softly, rolling over onto his stomach, "Come on, Jerome," He began, giggling under his breath, "You aren't an _animal_ , are you?"

Jerome let out a startled bark of laughter, before smothering it and jokingly glaring at Seto, "Ha ha, Mom, very funny."

"Thank you," Seto stated, disregarding the insincerity of the statement.

Quiet settled over the room once again. Seto figured he probably should have been more concerned about Jerome getting him sick, but he didn't really mind. A little cold never hurt anybody.

A loud knock broke the silence this time, and Seto groaned loudly at the floor, scowling at Jerome's laugh.

"Go answer the _door_ , Ma," Jerome snickered, only laughing harder when Seto directed his glare at him as he pulled himself off the floor.

" _You_ could get it, Mr. Lazy; spare your poor old mother the trip." Seto complained, brushing himself off and huffing as a knock resounded through the house again.

"I'm _sick_ ," Jerome grinned, flashing a mouth of small, sharp teeth at Seto.

"Yeah, yeah," Seto muttered, raising his voice as whoever was at the door knocked again, "I'm coming! Notch, Brice, you have a key! I told you last time to just let yourself in!"

Seto hurried to the door, shaking his head and muttering under his breath, " _Honestly_ ; he never listens. One of these days, Brice Solace, you and I are going to have some wor-"

Seto froze as he threw open the door. His vision tunneled.

Adam tipped his hat at the sorcerer, smiling softly, "Sir."

Seto felt his eyes fill with tears, and he threw himself at his boy. Adam caught him easily, and Seto didn't think that he was imagining the wetness in his laugh as Adam spun them around. Seto cried softly, dabbing at his eyes with his hands when Adam gently set him down on the ground.

Seto sighed shakily, wrapping his arms around Adam's neck for a calmer, more gentle hug, fueled by love and pent-up worry. "You're _back_."

Adam breathed in the smell of home that constantly stuck around Seto and the rest of the family, smiling at the familiarity- the smell of wood smoke and old books and cheap soap and roses, for some reason, that anyone else would probably find entirely uninspiring but made Adam tear up.

Seto slowly pulled back, holding Adam at arm's length and finally allowing himself to scan his son's weary form, his eyes narrowing every time they zeroed in on a new scar, upset at the knowledge that there were most definitely more hiding under that stiff uniform that human military men wore.

Adam had grown a little bit more, about two or three inches, and Seto allowed himself to silently mourn for a moment before he comforted himself with the knowledge that the boy was probably done now. Adam's hair fell long and messy around his shoulders, unrestrained by a tie. A stiff, black uniform adorned Adam's body, a few badges and medals pinned to the lapels and sleeves, though Seto hadn't the faintest as to what any of them meant; he didn't usually take care to pay any mind to human military practices beyond combat styles. Adam's skin had tanned even further from the temperatures wherever he had been sent to fight, and, as he observed this detail, Seto finally allowed himself to look up at Adam's face, and he knew his son noticed when his face fell.

"Adam… Your… Your eye…" Seto whispered unsteadily, reaching out to thumb at the string that held a cheap medical eye patch to Adam's face. "Please tell me you just have pink eye or something."

The young man bowed his head, wincing when he saw the tears in Seto's eyes.

"It's… It's, uh, why I got sent home, Ma," Adam murmured softly, avoiding Seto's eyes, "Can't have me running around in combat when I have such a huge blindside."

"Oh, Adam," Seto breathed mournfully.

"It's alright, Seto. I'm not upset or anything. If anything, I'm upset that I couldn't stay and help longer, but, uh, at least one good thing came out of it… Besides coming back to you guys, I mean…!"

Seto laughed softly, his eyes glinting knowingly, "Is it a _girl_?"

Adam blushed, looking to his feet for a moment before he looked up again, smiling brightly, "Her name is Alesa… She's really, really pretty and kind… She's a medic."

Seto gave the boy a sly smile, pulling him into the house, where they were immediately assaulted by an excited Jerome.

"Alright," Seto began, pulling the other two onto the couch with him, "Spill, Adam; I don't want a single detail left out."

* * *

 **December 25th, 1890**

Seto laughed softly as he walked down the street with Jerome and Mitch, now fifteen and eighteen respectively. Jerome had sprouted up like barley, as had Mitch, though Jerome's growth was certainly more impressive due to his species. Jerome was a proper, little… big… bacca now, all of his adult fangs having come in and his fur having gone from light scruff everywhere to a full-blown coat, which was a very light brown color at the moment due to it being the winter months. Seto's heart ached a little every time he saw him; Jerome was no longer the little five month old cub he had raised, and Seto always had trouble coming to terms with that.

Mitch had gone through a similar growth spurt, and it had officially placed everyone in Seto's little family at a height taller than his own, though he comforted himself with the fact that Ty was only taller by about half an inch.

"There's the house!" Jerome exclaimed, flashing his fangs in a large grin and grabbing onto Seto's cold hand.

Seto laughed, "Yes, I know! Come on, now; we're late!"

The trio hurried to the door of the small house, Seto raising a hand to knock, smiling at the loud "Coming!" that came from the other side of the door.

The door was yanked open to reveal a pretty redhead with her hair pinned up. She wore a black dress shirt with black pants, a gold necklace with a pink gemstone embedded in it hanging around her neck and a gold band around her ring finger. She smiled radiantly at the group, her green and brown eyes shining with happiness. She wiped her hands on her pants, ushering the three into the warm home and slamming the door behind them with a final gust of cold wind.

"Adam!" She called out loudly, a grin still present on her fair features, "They're here! Take the roast out of the oven and come greet your family!"

Seto snorted at the loud reply of, "Okay, _Mom_!" That echoed from the kitchen. Typical.

Alesa seemed to be having similar thoughts as she rolled her eyes playfully, taking Seto and Mitch's coats as she did so and hanging them up on a rack near the wall. Seto breathed in the heavenly scent of roast and freshly- baked bread that permeated the air of the house, his smile going soft at the laughter he heard from the living room.

Alesa lead them down the hallway, which opened up into a small living room that had been packed with people.

Seto spread his arms, "My boys!" He called happily, four heads darting up at the sound, all with matching smiles on their faces. Seto laughed as he was practically smothered in hugs from Ty, Jason, Ian, and Quentin, none of them having been all gathered with him at once in the past few weeks due to the havoc that had enveloped their lives.

"I missed you boys! You never call!" Seto said, faux anger seeping into his voice at the end of the statement.

Ty looked offended, "I literally call you _every night_ , Seto! Notch!"

Seto reached up and pinched his cheek, ignoring his indignant yelp, "And that's why you're my favorite, Ty."

He laughed at the various offended shouts of "Hey!" instead opening his arms invitingly as Adam finally joined them all in the living room.

The brunet rushed forward eagerly, folding Seto into his arms and hugging him tightly. Seto grinned, returning the embrace with just as much enthusiasm.

Slowly, Adam released the sorcerer, who was quickly swept up into hugs from Ryan and James, and finally allowed to sit down once everyone had settled down, loud chatter once again filling the air. Seto inhaled a cup of coffee, exhausted from the past few weeks of hard work in the town's hospital, where James also worked. He looked up as he heard his name, relieved when Ryan repeated the question for him.

"Did Brice not want to come?" Ryan asked gently, somewhat aware, now, of Seto and Brice's rocky past.

Seto shook his head, "No; it's not that. He was busy. I don't know with what, but I try to keep my nose out of magic business these days anyway. I'll leave that stuff to him and people who actually give a damn."

Ryan nodded emphatically, raising his glass, "Amen to that. Whatever mess they get themselves into is _not_ my problem."

Seto laughed, "Well, it _will_ be _my_ problem. They'll make me fight again. Hopefully they won't have another mess for a while, though; I think I made it quite clear last time that I wasn't too keen on coming to bail them out again."

"Your leaders are assholes," James stated matter-of-factly, launching Seto and Ryan into mutual giggle-fits.

"Yeah; little bit." Seto nodded.

Their conversation was interrupted by two voices calling that dinner was ready, and Seto's other children standing and rushing toward the source.

Seto laughed, easing himself off the couch and slowly making his way into the other room, though he was stopped by a hand on his arm. He looked up.

Ryan stared at him with a concerned look on his face, "Are you…? Are you dealing alright with all of this? Only having two of them living with you now? I just want to make sure you're handling it well, is all…"

Seto was about to plaster a smile on his face and lie through his teeth, but he hesitated at the look on the other sorcerer's face. He sighed, "It's, uh… It's… difficult. I'm still not used to the lack of chaos and noise around the house. I've been having a little bit of trouble coping… Coming to terms with the fact that I'll be alone in the house again in less than two years. Mitch is only sticking around at this point for Jerome. They've wanted to go fight monsters since they were little, and I can hardly keep them from it, they're so determined. They're going to leave as soon as they get the green light, and even though most everyone will still live in town here, and I can see them anytime I want, it's just… It'll be different."

Ryan nodded sympathetically, pulling Seto in for a hug.

"Our house is always open… you know, once they're gone… If you don't mind being the third wheel, we'd love to have you." Ryan muttered.

Seto laughed weakly, hugging Ryan back just as warmly, "I'll keep that in mind. Thank you."

They pulled back, laughing at the somewhat awkward look on James' face.

"Come on," Ryan said brightly, poking James' side, "Let's go get some food; I'm starving."

* * *

 **June 10th, 1891**

Seto sat in a high stool that had been scooted up against an equally disproportionately tall table grumbling playfully under his breath, his act given away by the small, pleased smile on his face. He had his chin propped up with one of his hands, smiling tenderly as he watched Ian dart around the small establishment, nervously fiddling with everything he laid eyes on.

"Ian," Seto called softly, his smile widening as Ian turned to him with wide, panic-stricken eyes. He held out his hands, allowing himself to feel a small spark of self-satisfaction when Ian immediately dropped what he was doing to come over and grasp them. Seto squeezed his boy's hands comfortingly, "Everything is _fine_. Calm down. You're sure to mess up if you keep worrying yourself like this. Just relax and go with the flow, dear. You're fine. The place looks beautiful. You're very talented and you've worked hard for this. Enjoy it."

Ian looked down, tightening his grip on his former caretaker's hands, "I'm just… Well, you said it yourself; I've worked hard for this; what if I mess it all up now? What if I'm not really as good as I think I am? What if-"

Seto shook his head, releasing one of Ian's hands to cover the other brunet's mouth. He smiled, "You'll do just fine. You're an amazing chef and your baked goods are to die for and this bakery is going to be the busiest place in town for years to come, alright? Everything is fine and will continue to be fine. Now go open those doors, because I know for a fact that there are a lot of people who have been waiting for this place to begin business since it was announced."

Ian smiled shyly, gaze darting to the floor, his face contemplative for a moment, carefully considering Seto's words, before he nodded firmly. He grinned up at Seto, "You're right; I'm great."

Seto snorted, pushing Ian playfully in the direction of the firmly closed and locked bakery doors. "Great, just what you needed: an ego boost. Now you'll be even more insufferable," he teased, "Now hurry up and go open that door so that I can eat all your cake for free as a family discount."

Ian groaned, "No family discount; I have a _business_ to run, Seto!" He turned, excitedly rushing over to open the doors to the public for the first time.

Seto smiled sadly, his eyes gleaming, "I know," he whispered under his breath, "and it breaks my heart."

* * *

 **January 30th, 1893**

Seto fought against the strong wind to pull open the door to the town hall. He groaned. The wind was ridiculous tonight and practically everyone was inside. Not even, actually- _everyone_ was inside. He snarled at the door, his free hand glowing purple for a moment, the door swinging open easily. He shook his hand, discharging excess magic with practiced ease. He quickly stepped through the narrow opening, the harsh wind slamming the door behind him with a loud _bang_ that startled the receptionist.

Seto shivered against the newfound warmth of the small room he stood in, the heat much welcomed but rejected by his cold-accustomed body. The receptionist seemed to come out of his shock at someone actually making it through the storm outside, sending a charming smile Seto's way.

"Ah, Seto!" He exclaimed, rich accent ringing out cheerily, standing and striding over to stand before him, taking Seto's hand and laying a tender kiss over his knuckles, "A sight that surely warms hearts and souls on such an icy night. To what does our humble hall owe your gracing of our doorstep?"

Seto laughed softly, his hand leaving the other man's to cover his mouth delicately. He batted his eyelashes at the other man, well-aware that coming here during business hours was strictly prohibited, "Such words flatter even the most straight-laced of men, Martin. You do me great disservice doling out such sweet praises to ears that have never earned them. Do you not wish to instead make use of such saccharine whispers to woo fairer maidens?"

Martin winked at him, "I'm afraid that I am already beholding the fairest maiden that any land has to offer before my very eyes… Now tell me, dear; what brings you to our workplace on so harsh a night? I will be deeply flattered if you say that you have come just to speak to me, but I must attempt to dissuade you from doing such things while it is so dangerous to be roaming the lane."

Seto smiled up at the Bulgarian, "No, I'm afraid I did not come simply to speak with you, despite how pleasing an experience it _is_ to speak with you, Martin; I came to see my son. It's very cold outside, after all, and he won't be able to get out tonight, I know, and he has been feeling rather under the weather, lately, so I wanted to bring him something…"

Martin grinned radiantly at the shorter man, already nodding at the unspoken request, holding out his arm invitingly for Seto to hook his through, "Why, of course! The care you hold for your charges is so very admirable, Seto; it's a very attractive trait."

"Oh?" Seto purred coquettishly, taking the offered arm gracefully, following him up a winding staircase with measured elegance; he was no stranger to a playful bout of flirting. He knew Martin wasn't serious, of course; he was well-aware that Martin found him attractive, but Martin found many people attractive; it wasn't particularly hard to earn his favor, and besides; Seto hadn't flirted with somebody nor been complimented so genuinely since the good old days with Brice, before everything had gone to the Nether. It was fun to get back in the game, even if his heart would always belong to someone else.

"Yes, very; I find those who show such genuine care for others extremely appealing. Truly kind people are so hard to come by these days, you see…" Martin explained, smiling flirtatiously down at Seto, as if he believed he had already won this little game they were playing.

"You do not find my age repellent?" Seto asked, hiding his smirk by bowing his head slightly, playing shy. It was not a particularly huge secret in town nowadays that he was a sorcerer, and many of the humans here were at least slightly informed about his kind, considering they had two permanent residents holding such a status. He had Martin now; hook, line, and sinker.

"Of course not, my dear; age leads to wisdom, and wisdom comes from experience in _many_ departments…" Martin drawled, trailing his finger slowly down Seto's arm as they came to a stop outside of a large, imposing door, the placard on the wall next to it reading: 'TYLER ELLIS - CURATOR TO TOWN BETTERMENT DEPT. - 1000345'.

Seto shot him a coy smile, "Oh, I'm so pleased that you believe that to be so, Sir. Such a strong young man such as yourself speaking such sweet nothings into the ear of someone such as _myself_ is truly a pleasure I do not deserve. You are such a perfect gentleman, Sir."

Martin blushed brightly, all suavity fleeing him at Seto's sudden exchange of flattery, "Y-Yes, well… This is Tyler's office… I'm sure you read the sign… This chat has been lovely."

Seto laughed politely behind his hand, playfully blowing a kiss at Martin as the other man began to back away.

Martin reached up and caught the imaginary kiss, holding his palm close to his chest, "Your eyes glitter like the finest gemstones!" He called, grinning, "Your skin is like ivory and your smile shines with the light of the sun!"

Seto snickered as the Bulgarian finally disappeared from view, turning to enter Ty's office, a wide grin adorning his face.

* * *

Ty glared at him from where he sat behind his large desk, his ruby eyes practically shining with malice.

Seto smiled teasingly at him, sauntering over to plant himself on top of the desk, shooting Ty a shit-eating grin from his perch.

Ty scrubbed his hands over his face, "I hate you; you know that?"

Seto ruffled his hair, plopping his burden onto the desk in one of the few paperwork-free zones, "I love you, too, Tyler."

Ty scrunched his nose at both the name and the endearment, "I do _not_ want to hear him flirting with you like he's Romeo and you're Juliet. Please- spare me the trauma."

Seto smirked, "You should've heard what we were saying _before_ we were in earshot..."

" _Nooooo!"_ Ty groaned loudly, placing his head on the desk.

Seto laughed, "I'm just messing with you, Ty. You know him and I aren't going to be doing anything with each other anytime soon."

"He thinks you're _pretty_ , though! He won't leave me alone about trying to set you two up! I don't want to hear that shit! You raised me, for Notch's sake!" Ty hissed.

Seto simpered, "And you really think that he's not just trying to get under your skin just as much as I am?"

Ty narrowed his eyes, "You wouldn't."

Seto grinned gleefully, "I _absolutely_ would."

Ty's glare deepened.

Seto's smile softened, "I did actually come here for other things than just to flirt with Martin and to tease you, though…"

Ty sighed exasperatedly, "Did you also come to meddle around in my office and force my disorganization into something orderly?"

Seto snorted, "No, smart alec, I didn't, actually. I brought you this," He reached into the bag he had brought, withdrawing a container of still-warm mushroom stew, thrusting it into Ty's hands.

The auburn-haired young man stared up at him in surprise, and Seto rolled his eyes.

"You're still my kid, you know that? It doesn't matter that you moved out or that you have a fancy curatorial job now; I'm still going to take care of you, and I can tell that you haven't been feeling up to snuff lately." Seto stated gently, holding eye contact.

Ty looked down, sniffling quietly, "I love you; you know that?"

Seto smiled tenderly, "I love you, too, Tyler."

* * *

 **September 4th, 1897**

Seto yawned widely, stretching his arms above his head as he made his way into the kitchen from his bedroom. He paused in the doorway at the sight he was greeted with, sighing softly and rolling his eyes fondly.

Jason had asked to stay over the night before after the family had all amassed at the house for dinner, claiming that he had some work to do and he was too tired to go back to his own home. Seto had agreed, of course, prepping one of the old bedrooms and tidying so that Jason would have somewhere to sleep, but it seemed that Jason hadn't cared to use the bed.

Seto shook his head, leaning against the doorframe, a small smile gracing his fair features. Jason was sound asleep on the tabletop, one of his arms cushioning his head, his mouth wide open, curly, light brown hair splayed out against the dark wood. His other hand rested on the table, a pencil still loosely clutched between his fingers.

Seto's eyes zeroed in on the choker that was still snapped tight around Jason's neck that had been pinched and pulled in his sleep in a way that _couldn't_ have been healthy. He tiptoed over, reaching behind the man's neck, careful not to wake him, and unclasping the choker, tsk'ing sharply at the angry red lines that were displayed on Jason's neck from where the jewelry had dug in.

Seto gently set the choker on the table, away from the mass of papers that were spread out in front of Jason's prone form, turning away afterwards to continue toward the counter and begin to prepare a cup of coffee, a beverage that was always in the house nowadays since it seemed to have become the lifeblood of Jason, Ty, and Quentin.

Seto went about his task on autopilot, his mind elsewhere, focusing, in his lethargy, on the seemingly quick passage of time. It was like years were grains of sand slipping through open fingers; everything seemed to move so fast, now.

Seto started as his little coffee maker dinged softly, alerting him to the coffee's finish. He shook his head to clear it of dark thoughts, dragging a single mug out of the cupboard and filling it with the bitter liquid, immediately dumping in three teaspoons of sugar and a tablespoon of cream to sweeten it, just the way he knew Jason liked it.

Seto cupped the mug in his petite hands, blowing on the top of the beverage gently as he walked back towards the table, placing the mug on the opposite end of the table, prepared so that if Jason woke with a start, he wouldn't knock the drink over and ruin all of his paperwork.

Seto crossed over to the other side of the table, gently shaking Jason by the shoulders in an attempt to wake him up.

The man stirred, "Mmmhh?"

Seto shook him again, pleased when Jason righted himself, blinking owlishly, his eyes staring around for a moment without really seeing anything. He yawned wide, eyes clenching shut for a moment before opening again, the blue orbs much more clear this time.

He squinted up at him, opening his mouth to speak, but being interrupted immediately by another yawn.

Seto reached over and grabbed the mug of now-warm coffee, placing it in front of Jason and kissing him on the forehead.

Jason closed his hands around the mug, bringing it to his lips and taking a long drag of the dark liquid, his eyes half-lid and foggy with weariness. "Thanks, Ma," Jason mumbled.

Seto patted him on the shoulder, taking a seat to his right, his eyes scanning over the notes and blueprints and star charts scattered around the tabletop.

"What were you working on that kept you out here until whatever ungodly hour you finally fell asleep?" Seto asked.

"Telescope." Jason muttered, his brain not up to creating full sentences at the moment, "Advanced. Help with the trip to the moon."

Seto raised an eyebrow, "I thought you said a trip to the moon wouldn't be possible for a little less than a century yet?"

"Won't be." Jason conceded softly, "It'll help, though. You could see it."

Seto's heart melted, "And I'm sure it will be beautiful, Jason; your work is so complex, I'm not sure I'd ever be able to understand it."

"You'd be good at it," Jason whispered, beginning to wake up a little more with the help of the caffeine, "You're good at everything."

Seto laughed softly, "Hardly."

Now it was Jason's turn to raise an eyebrow at Seto, "Name one thing you're not good at."

Seto sighed, staring intensely at the tabletop, "Dating, for one."

Jason laughed, lighthearted, unaware of the implication behind the statement, "You don't even put yourself out there, though! If you did, you'd have, like, three thousand dates within a second. Martin might actually wet himself."

Seto laughed, his heart aching slightly in his chest, "Martin is just a _little_ too young for my taste."

Jason waved his hand dismissively, "He's thirty-three."

Seto snorted, "And I'm eighty-four; your point?"

Jason shrugged, "That basically translates, right? Sorcerer to mortal ages. You're totally in your thirties."

Seto huffed, plastering an affronted expression on his face, " _Wow_. I'm offended that you think I would be that old."

Jason narrowed his eyes at him, "Hey. _I'm_ almost in my thirties, old man. Watch it."

Seto snickered, "Sorry, sorry."

They sat in silence for a while.

"I guess it wouldn't work out, though- even if you were interested. Because he's mortal, right?" Jason murmured, looking up at Seto, who suddenly found the patterns of the fibers in his pants intensely interesting.

"Jason…" Seto began, his tone filled to the brim with warning.

"Sorry; it's just-" Jason tried.

"Jason," Seto interrupted, more firmly this time, his eyes clenched shut, "Please. Stop talking."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be."

* * *

 **July 22nd, 1901**

Seto raised his eyebrow, unimpressed.

Jerome and Mitch were stood on the other side of the door, grinning sheepishly at him, and he sighed, stepping aside to allow them inside of the house, taking note of Mitch's limp.

He grabbed the first aid kit off of its place on the stand next to the door, bringing the duo into the kitchen, Mitch already going to sit in one of the chairs while Jerome leaned on the wall nearby.

Seto knelt down in front of Mitch, allowing the man to pull up his pant leg, displaying an inflamed cut that had to have been at least a day old. Seto sighed, pulling a pair of gloves onto his hands and taking Mitch's calf in his hand, analyzing the injury with a practiced eye. He clicked his tongue, reaching into his kit for a bottle of antiseptic, a cloth, and a roll of bandages.

"What did you two do this time?" Seto questioned them as he worked.

Mitch flushed, looking to Jerome for help.

The bacca huffed, "This one still hasn't accepted the fact that he's not as good with daggers as he is with swords and axes and he hurt himself because he insisted on attempting to fight with one."

Seto gave Mitch a look, "Mitchell, not everyone is able to wield daggers and you know that. Why do you continue to attempt to master an art that your body type simply doesn't suit?"

Mitch looked away, pouting as if he was still a child, "Aren't you supposed to support me in all my endeavors or whatever?"

Seto sighed, "Yes, Mitchell, but not if they get you hurt. I'm sorry, dear, but I think it's time to accept that you simply aren't meant to work with such a small, short-range weapon. You've mastered swords, axes, and bows, so I'm not sure why you think that you also need to master the art of a weapon you'll most-likely never have to use."

Mitch raised an eyebrow, "You use yours."

Seto rolled his eyes, "Mitchell, that's because I don't use any other weapons. I'm comfortable with daggers. You're not. My body type compliments a quick, evasive combat style well, and, I'm sorry, honey, but yours doesn't. You're built for head-on combat. And daggers are very inconvenient at times; a sword is a much more useful weapon, I'm simply not very good with swords and I've accepted that. You need to accept that _you're_ simply not very good with daggers before you get yourself hurt in a much more serious way than a cut on your leg."

Mitch looked away, "Okay. I'm sorry for worrying you."

Seto sighed again, his eyes softening. He took hold of Mitch's chin, directing his gaze back to him, "You know I love you, right? I just want you safe."

Mitch smiled at him, Jerome purring lowly from his spot on the wall, "Yeah, I know. I love you, too."

Seto grinned, patting Mitch's knee as a sign that he was all done, "Alright. Now; you and Jerome are going to stay here until I deem you healed well enough to leave again. No arguments."

* * *

 **August 11th, 1905**

Seto clapped excitedly, whistling sharply as Quentin finally left the platform, a raucous applause from the entire crowd following behind him as he ended his speech. They were in a rather large city at the moment, and Quentin had just finished giving a speech on behalf of the foundation he had founded that worked very hard in the name of the Creatures' Rights Movement.

Seto slipped through the crowd who were all chattering animatedly amongst themselves at the prospect of change finally coming for those who had been trapped by the confines of humanity for so long. Granted, the crowd had mostly been filled with proponents to begin with, but the fact remained that at least a fourth of the crowd had been sceptics and now even they had large smiles on their faces at the propositions Quentin made.

Seto had never been more proud of him in his life.

Seto slipped behind the platform, unnoticed, his smile only widening at the sight of Quentin receiving a hug from one of the other members of the organization, a frog hybrid by the name of Kermit. Seto waited until they were done before charging forward and hugging his boy tightly.

Quentin grinned widely, picking Seto up and spinning him around with glee. They had done it. They had finally done it; they had gotten their message out in a huge city and the future looked so bright. Quentin was so proud of his whole team and Seto had been such a big help, like he always was, and he was just so _happy_ in this moment.

Seto pulled back, still grasping tightly onto Quentin's shoulders, "You did it! I'm so proud of you!"

Quentin blushed at the statement, overjoyed, " _We_ did it. You were so great, helping us out so much, and we're so thankful and we couldn't have done it without you! I'm so happy, you have no idea."

Seto smiled warmly up at the mudkip hybrid, "I have somewhat of an idea, Quentin. This will change a lot for me, too. I always believed in you. I knew you could do it."

Quentin grinned, his cheeks growing even hotter, "I love you so much. Thank you. Not just for these past few months helping us, but for always. Thank you for finding us; thank you for taking us in; thank you for raising us; thank you for always supporting us. You've done so much for us and we don't thank you enough, and I just… thank you so much. I love you."

Seto felt tears prickle behind his eyes, "I love you so much, too. I'm so proud of you. And you were never a hassle. I was always happy to have all of you with me. I'll never get tired of you guys; you could never disappoint me. You've all turned into such wonderful young men and I couldn't be more full of pride."

Quentin gave him a watery smile, pulling him in for another hug.

Seto closed his eyes, his arms winding around Quentin tightly.

Everything was just perfect.


	7. One Author's Note To Rule Them All

**First of all, I feel the need to apologize. My absence on not only this story, but all of my other works as well, has been ridiculously long and I do feel bad about that. I've just never felt more burnt out in my entire life than I have in this past year, and, unfortunately, I have a tendency to bottle it up, and this time, the emotional release just manifested itself as the worst writer's block I've ever had in my entire life. I'm trying very hard to work through it, though, and I hope to be back to normal within the next month.**

 **The next topic is my attitude toward this story and the future of this story. No, it's not ending, so don't worry about that. I fully intend to finish this. It's just that I've fallen out of touch with my love for Minecraft, at least on the YouTube side of things. Truthfully, I don't watch ANY of the YouTubers in this story anymore (though Seto is not by choice), and that doesn't mean they're bad YouTubers, it's just that my humor has evolved as I've grown older and I've simply left that great love of my life behind as I've matured. Does that mean I've lost interest in this story as well? No, not at all.**

 **I still love this story; I'm still in love with my original plan for this story, but I simply don't connect with the people behind the characters like I used to. From now on, I'm not going to write this story with those people in mind (though a lot of elements were my own take on things already, obviously), but with the characters in past chapters in mind, if that makes sense. I will no longer be structuring the future development of characters even slightly on the real people, but rather on what I've written in the past. The fact of the matter is that I just don't** _ **know**_ **the real people well enough to try to keep it in character that way anymore. And really, just writing that makes me sad, but it's true, and that specific era of my life is over. I don't know how Adam acts in his videos now, nor Ty, or anyone else.**

 **Finally, a last announcement: After Misorcery is finished, I have no plans to continue writing anything for the Minecraft YouTube fandom outside of a couple of Misorcery-related oneshots, and** _ **maybe**_ **Guardian Angels. Any ideas I had for fanfiction for this fandom will be instead doled out to my other fandoms. I just don't have the passion in me for this fandom anymore, and that ensures that I just can't write to my best possible ability for this fandom, and you guys just don't deserve mediocre work. I love this** _ **story**_ **. I love the plans I have for it and I love what I've written so far (though going back makes me cringe at my bad grammar). I do not, however, love MCYT anymore, and I, truthfully, haven't for almost a year now, and even then, it was only very faint remnants of what used to be there.**

 **So, think of this, the most important Author's Note this story will ever contain, as my preemptive sendoff to any connection that remained between me and the MCYT fandom. I don't intend to ever delete this story or any other works involving the fandom (even that godawful first piece I uploaded), as they are my origin story; they are my first foray into the world of creative writing, a world which I love being a part of, but I will no longer be releasing** _ **NEW,**_ **completely separate works that don't involve themes I haven't dealt with.**

 **MCYT helped me get through some of the hardest moments of my life thus far, from my confusion over my sexuality, to my worry that my sexuality wasn't okay. But those moments are over, and most everything must come to an end eventually. My time spent in the MCYT fandom will forever be something I remember, but this marks the end.**

 **-Mooksie**


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